familiar
by achieving elysium
Summary: Altean!Lance AU. The only one who remembers the fall of Altea, Lance struggles to find a place in a band of misfits he will never fully trust. Secrets aren't the only thing on the rise; on the other side of the battlefield is Zarkon, someone Lance once saw as a brother and now his greatest enemy. But Voltron has always protected the universe, and the Blue Paladin won't stop now.
1. Chapter 1

**familiar**  
chapter one

* * *

Lance sat on the edge of his bed, counting his breaths as he tried to figure out what had woken him. Moonlight spilt through the blinds, tracing silver lines on the floor, and Lance stared at them as if he could find an answer in the patterns.

 _Paladin._

He jerked, fingers curling into the fabric of the blanket he'd kicked off himself in a panic earlier.

"Blue," he murmured aloud, already moving, sliding on his boots and throwing on the jacket hanging over a nearby chair. This late at night, there was no one to see or stop him as he grabbed his bag and crept to the door, glancing only once at the sleeping forms of Hunk and Pidge before he slipped out.

 _Paladin_ , she said again into his mind, her voice a low purr. _Hurry, paladin._

Lance eyed the bright light pooling from the Instructor's Lounge and the instructor facing the hallway warily. Iverson looked like he was deep in conversation, but memories of being criticized and ridiculed in front of the entire pilot class made him cringe.

 _Paladin_ , Blue said, and he moved, stealing across the hallway quieter than a ghost.

Stealth was important, as his leader had told him once. To be trained in all aspects; to follow orders without question; to be disciplined, the perfect soldier. Of them all, Zarkon had always been– Zarkon had always been–

Lance gritted his teeth, ducking his head lower as something in his chest ached, a wound that hadn't completely healed yet.

He managed to make it outside, sighing in relief as a cool breeze wrapped around him. Lance made his way to the edge of the roof and looked out towards the desert where he'd left Blue in the caves, hidden and protected.

"What's going on?" he asked her now, letting the wind carry his words. "It better be important, Blue. You interrupted my beauty sleep, you meanie."

There was a long pause when Lance thought she wouldn't answer him. Faint amusement traveled down their bond before being replaced with seriousness.

 _Something is coming._

A tug in his chest, something strange and familiar feeling that ragged hole next to his heart.

"Coming," he murmured, tilting his head towards the sky.

"What's coming?" a voice asked next to his ear, and Lance yelped, his arms pinwheeling as he spun around. He reached towards his waist, fingers searching for his bayard on instinct. His heartbeat thundered in his chest as he stared wide-eyed at Pidge, whose eyes were sparkling with curiosity behind rimmed glasses.

Behind him, Hunk stood in the background like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. They all looked at each other for a moment before Pidge continued.

"You didn't answer my question," he said, and Lance swallowed, still trembling. "What's coming?"

 _Lance,_ his Lion said gently in his mind, and he relaxed.

"Um," he said, rubbing at the back of his neck.

What was he supposed to say?

 _So, like, what happened was my giant space cat woke me up in the middle of the night and just now told me that something's coming. Oh yeah, by the way, did I mention that I'm not human?_

The only thing that'd be good for was a conversation-starter at some dinner party, though he'd either a) be sent straight to a psychiatrist, or b) be dragged under a microscope in a lab to be poked and prodded by scientists.

Neither of those sounded like great options, so Lance just said: "It's just this weird… feeling, you know?"

"Dude," Hunk said, speaking up for the first time that night, "you mean, like those moments when you know something's up and then you show up in class and Professor Ribero's having a pop quiz over some random cluster of galaxies we'd never even heard of?"

"Triggered," said Pidge, who'd sat down and pulled out a bunch of equipment in the time that it'd taken for Lance to reply. He fiddled with a few knobs and adjusted a mass of wires and radio tech.

"That's not Garrison tech," Lance noted.

"Yeah, where'd you get it?"

Pidge answered before Hunk could spew off a couple billion more questions.

"Built it," he said proudly as Lance ran a critical eye over his things. They were quite well-made, definitely an improvement compared to the chunky computers the Garrison made them use in class, but still not as good as Altean technology.

Not that Lance knew much about technology, anyway. That stuff he left to the technicians and scientists who spent their days holed up researching this and that, always speaking in a bunch of jargon he never understood.

Pidge slapped Hunk's hand away for the third time.

"Don't touch my stuff!"

Hunk whined but relented, rocking back on his heels and sulking.

"C'mon, Pidge," he tried. "Didn't Iverson say something about team bonding earlier? Working together and all that? No secrets between us, right?"

Pidge sighed, pushing up his glasses. "Fine."

He began a long spiel that Lance tuned out almost immediately.

 _Paladin,_ Blue pressed, and he could feel her worry and tension like it was a tangible thing, wrapping around his chest and squeezing tightly. _It is time._

"Voltron," Pidge announced clearly, and Lance froze where he was, not daring to breathe.

"What?" he finally choked out.

"It's what I've been picking up," Pidge explained, reaching behind him and showing them a page covered in doodles of aliens and VOLTRON written in scratchy handwriting.

"What's that _mean_?" Hunk asked.

Lance swallowed back his words and bit down on his lip instead, knowing that answering the question would only spell disaster.

"I don't know," Pidge replied, looking frustrated, "but all the alien radio chatter I've been picking up is that word on repeat."

Monumental. The know-it-all didn't know something.

He gestured at the small screen and the lines of scrolling text that were going way too fast for Lance to read.

"It's going crazier than I've ever heard it," he continued.

Deep breaths. His pulse was too fast; Lance was scared his heart would break free of its cage and go flying. He took a steadying breath and raised an eyebrow at Pidge.

"Oh yeah?"

The alarms began to blare, and the trio turned as one towards the flashing lights as a voice echoed throughout the Garrison.

" _Attention all students,_ " the voice droned, " _this is_ not _a drill. We are now on lockdown. Security situation zero-niner. Repeat–_ "

"A zero-niner?" cried Hunk, pulling at his hair.

But Lance's attention had been caught by a burst of light in the corner of his eye. Hunk looked up and stopped, his hand coming up shakily to point at the rapidly-approaching object.

"Guys, are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Hunk asked. "Is that a meteor?"

Pidge snatched his binoculars. "That's no meteor–"

Seized with a feeling of icy dread, Lance grabbed the binoculars, holding them up so he could see what was coming towards them.

 _Galra_ , hissed Blue, wrapping her mind protectively around his own. _If they hurt you–_

 _Peace, Blue_ , he thought back, lowering his hands and trying not to panic.

"That's a ship," he finished for Pidge. A Galran ship – an escape pod, by the looks of it.

What the _Quiznack_ was a Galran escape pod doing here? Earth was safe, untouched by Zarkon's rampage, so primitive and different from many of the other planets that no one had ever even heard of it. It had been the perfect hiding spot for Blue all those years ago as Lance had steered her with still-bleeding wounds and tears on his face.

And now– and now–

He had to take care of the threat. Had to make sure whoever had come on that ship never made it back out, if not for the sake of Voltron, then for the people of this planet, still free.

"Where are you guys going?" Hunk shouted as Lance and Pidge raced for the exits.

"Hunk, come on," Pidge yelled over his shoulder.

"When I said team bonding, I meant, like, legal activities, you guys!" he yelled back, but a third set of footsteps joined them anyway.

They followed the rows of rovers speeding from the Garrison into the desert, where Lance found an outcropping they could sprawl on and spy from.

"Guys, this is the worst idea you've had since that time you covered the announcements board with memes," Hunk began, ever the voice of reason as Pidge set up his equipment. Lance hunched forward, squinting through the binoculars at the ship and its surroundings.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered, eyeing the pretty woman who'd stepped out to talk with one of the other commanders.

"And that was a pretty bad idea!" Hunk cried, waving his arms, but neither Lance nor Pidge were paying attention. Pidge had hacked into the camera feeds, and Lance watched with growing horror as a man was strapped down, protesting in panic as he tried to explain what he'd seen.

Aliens, Takashi Shirogane had said. Coming for Voltron. Not enough time.

 _Time_ , Blue chimed in his head.

"We need to get in there," Pidge said, a fire burning in his eyes. Lance nodded, his determination just as bright.

"Or we could go back to the barracks and get some ramen," Hunk suggested nervously. "Am I right or am I right, heh?"

Ten minutes later found them going in the complete opposite direction of the barracks being chased by a bunch of Garrison officers. The hovercraft was _way_ too small to fit four teenagers and an unconscious adult, but they'd made it work.

"Can't you go any faster?" Lance yelled at Keith, glancing behind them to see the officers hot on their tail. None of them truly understood what was at stake, what might happen if the Garrison – if _anyone_ – knew how vast the true scope of the universe was.

The only one who did was held in Lance's arms, sedated and unresponsive. He shifted his grip, fingers brushing against Galran steel.

"Could do without a little weight," Keith shouted back, and Lance pressed his lips together. "Big guy, lean left!"

They tore through the desert, twisting and turning on a ragged path. There was a familiar feeling building in him now, adrenaline mixed with the pure euphoria of flight. He'd missed the taste of flight, missed the _feeling_ of it; he missed Blue more than anything.

"Tell me we're going off that cliff," Lance said, loud enough so the others could hear.

"No," said Hunk, "no. Nonono. Nuh-uh, do _not_ say a word, Keith, no, no–"

Keith grinned, and for a second, Lance realized that while the two of them were polar opposites, they did share one thing in common.

" _Hell yeah._ "

Weightlessness.

The five of them plummeted towards the ground far below, screaming their lungs off. Lance held on tightly to Shiro and laughed, throwing his head back and relishing in the feeling of falling.

"We're gonna die," Pidge yelled, gripping onto Lance's shoulders.

"Shut up," Keith snapped, his words pulled away by the wind. "Just– trust me!"

A moment before they would've been flattened into a nice stack of Garrison pancakes, Keith pulled up, sending them shooting across the ground and further and further away from their pursuers.

" _Yeah_ , baby!" Lance crowed.

"What the fuck, Lance," Pidge said in his ear. Hunk only groaned as they zipped past plateau after plateau, but Keith surprised him with a breathless laugh.

They shared a look that only lasted a second, some soft, fleeting understanding passing through them. Then Keith turned back, hands tightening around the handlebars.

Lance smiled.

It took them another good hour to get out to the small shack Keith called home. It was a simple thing, with everything crammed into one room, a couch here, a hot plate there, scattered piles of dirty clothes and papers.

To be honest, it was kind of suffocating. He walked outside as soon as it seemed okay to do so, gulping in the night air and staring up at the stars.

A different set of stars, a different set of constellations and myths behind them.

Blue purred into his mind, sad but still loving, still warm.

 _I miss it_ , he told her. They didn't need words, the two of them, but he said it anyway.

"Oh," came a voice from behind him. Lance turned to see Shiro walking out, expression both confused and stormy.

Lance scuffed his foot against the ground as he thought about what Shiro must have gone through, what horrors could've brought him into the hands of the Galra.

"Do you, uh…," Lance cleared his throat and gestured pointlessly, "need… like, a moment? Alone? 'Cause there's plenty of space so I can just, uh, move, if you want."

He caught the hem of his sleeves and rubbed the worn fabric between his fingers.

Shiro blinked, caught in surprise.

"It's alright," the man said finally. They stood together in silence for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. The name Voltron still played on an endless loop in Lance's head.

It'd been years. Ten thousand, to be exact, and they'd passed without Lance realizing. A period of time so long it made his head ache to think about it, but it'd gone by in the blink of an eye.

 _Ten thousand years_. It'd been long enough – tomorrow, when the day was bright, he'd set off back to Blue, where he belonged. Then they'd fly together in defense of the universe, of the scattered planets left alone by the Galra and those that had been tainted by it.

His Lion rumbled in the back of his mind, energy seeping between their bond. She wasn't fully awake, only aware enough to speak to him, but that'd change.

"I'm Shiro," his companion said, startling him out of his thoughts. He extended a hand – the non-Galra one – and Lance took it with a grin.

"I know," he replied, "and I'm Lance."

"I thanked the others earlier," Shiro said, letting his hand fall back to his side. "But I didn't get a chance to thank you, so… thank you, Lance."

He cocked his head.

"For what?"

Shiro shrugged and looked out at the vast stretch of desert, the wind carrying clouds of dust across the ground. Lance closed his eyes and understood.

"For saving me," Shiro said lightly.

A set of footsteps; a third person came to join them, putting a hand on Shiro's shoulder.

"Shiro," Keith murmured, his voice so different from the temperamental, hotheaded classmate Lance had known at the Garrison.

"I'm glad you're back."

He looked a little embarrassed when he remembered Lance was there, a challenge already on his lips, but Lance said nothing.

Shiro smiled, though it was a little sad.

"I'm glad to be back," he replied, reaching a hand up to ruffle Keith's hair. Keith squawked indignantly, scowling as he fixed his hair. Lance hid his grin but couldn't stop the snicker, earning himself a stink-eye in return.

"What happened?" Lance asked, hating the question the moment he asked it. "Out there, I mean."

"I… I don't really know," Shiro admitted, "my head… everything's scattered. I just have a bunch of bits and pieces – I escaped off the alien ship somehow, but before that…"

Lance's throat was dry as he said, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Shiro's brow crinkled, he turned fully so he could look at both Lance and Keith.

"How did you know to come that night?" he asked.

Lance thought of Blue and suppressed a laugh, half-wondering if he'd gone insane. He frowned to himself. He'd known because of Blue, and Pidge and Hunk had followed him, but… how had _Keith_ known?

"Come on," Keith said abruptly, "I think it'd be better if I showed you."

Inside the shack, Keith pulled down a large cloth covering, dust rising from the floorboards as he dropped it on the ground. Lance stared at the board covered in maps and calculations, all of them papers with hastily-written notes jotted down on them.

The largest map showed an overview of the desert, with arrows pointing to a spot in the center, circled several times in black marker.

He stopped breathing.

Blue. _Blue._

Every line Keith had drawn lead straight to the Blue Lion, to a spot that had been undiscovered for _ages._

"What is that," he ground out, breaths shallow.

Keith waved a hand towards the side, where Lance saw a few pictures of caves marked with the same messy handwriting as the other papers. Pictures of caves that looked too close to the ones Blue waited in.

"I don't know how to explain it," Keith started, rubbing the back of his neck. "After they kicked me out of the Garrison, I realized there was this… energy calling me, telling me to come out here."

"For what?"

Keith pointed at the place he'd circled on the map.

"I think whatever's here is the key to all this. I haven't really gotten a chance to explore, but there was this outcropping of these huge rocks covered in ancient markings. And then I realized some parts of it pointed to an event, some sort of arrival… last night."

Lance tried to remember. He'd made some of those markings when they'd landed, a mix of protective barriers meant to keep their energy signature hidden, his name and scattered pieces of his story if any Alteans found him, a prayer to the gods above.

Most of it was hazy; he'd been able to land safely thanks to adrenaline, had managed to stay lucid enough to scratch out those markings in half-dried blood, but he'd also been delirious and in denial.

What Keith had just spoken about… he didn't remember any of that.

"Then you showed up," Keith finished.

"Did… anyone else from your crew make it out?" Pidge asked.

"I'm not sure," Shiro said, glancing at Pidge.

"Great conversation," Hunk interrupted, "but, uh, can we talk about how there's, like, _aliens_? And– and they're coming. Here. Doesn't that freak anyone else out?"

Shiro wet his lips.

"You said something about Voltron earlier, right? I think… I think it's some kind of weapon they're looking for. Whatever it is, we have to find it before they do."

"Huh," Hunk said. "Oh, check out this picture I found of Pidge last night. Look, it's his girlfriend!"

Pidge turned a dark red and snatched the photo out of Hunk's hand, but not before everyone had gotten a good look at it. He was standing with a girl, the two of them grinning brightly at the camera.

There was no way that was his _girlfriend_ , though. For one, Pidge hadn't ever showed interest in girls, and the two people in the picture looked too much alike to _not_ be related.

Something flashed across Shiro's face too quickly for Lance to decipher.

"What the hell were you doing in my stuff?"

Lance winced. Pidge was a small guy, but he wasn't a force to be taken lightly. He reminded Lance a lot of his sister–

Hunk held up his hands and had the decency to look somewhat guilty.

"I was looking for a candy bar," he whined, "but then I found Pidge's diary–"

"Hunk, you're a genius," Lance interrupted, "but dude, you better shut up before Pidge guts you like a _sheif_."

"A what?"

Lance coughed.

"A fish," he corrected, hoping no one had read too much into his slip-up. To be fair, shieves were pretty similar to Earthen fish, and Lance didn't tend to think much before he spoke sometimes.

Hunk cleared his throat.

"So I noticed the repeating numbers Pidge wrote down look a lot like a Fraunhofer line."

Keith stared. "A Frown-what now?"

"It's basically–"

"Something that we can use to track down Voltron," Hunk said excitedly, "like, I can _probably_ build a machine to help us look for it. Like a Voltron Geiger counter."

He chuckled, looking pleased with himself. Lance held his hand out for a high-five.

He didn't mention how much easier it would be if Lance just led them straight to Blue – not that he liked that idea much, but he wasn't sure he could deter them from wanting to find Voltron.

"It's pretty fascinating," Hunk said, lifting the paper up to the map, brow furrowing in concentration. "The wavelength… it kinda looks like the map–"

"Give me that," Keith said harshly, tearing the paper out of Hunk's hands and holding it up so that they could all see how it lined up exactly with the tops of the rocks.

 _Shit_ , Lance thought. What the quiznack was science even?

"That's freaky, dude," he said. He and Hunk exchanged glances, and his friend shrugged.

"So," Shiro said, crossing his arms over his chest and appraising them all, a look crossing his face as if he liked what he saw in the five of them. "To Voltron it is."

* * *

 **welcome to altean!lance _hell,_ folks! I _love_ Altean!Lance (tbh just Lance in general) with all my heart - come flail with me on tumblr at achievingelysium. **

**(Also: you can find a playlist for this fic on 8tracks under the same name!)**

 **also,, season 2 is coming and i ca n' t**

 _achieving elysium_


	2. Chapter 2

**familiar**  
chapter two

* * *

"I think I'm getting something," Hunk said, holding up the reader like he would a phone when he wanted Wi-Fi.

"No shit, Sherlock," Keith said dryly as it began to beep, slowly at first before speeding up so it was as quick as his heartbeat.

It was a testament to Hunk's genius to know how close they were to Blue. Lance himself could feel her presence, the bond between them growing stronger as the group got closer.

He'd suffered these past few months. The distance made the bond weak, and so did not being in close proximity with her for an extended period of time.

The caves were cool and damp, a relief compared to the searing heat outside. The five of them branched out, and Lance drew in a deep breath when he saw the markings painted on the walls.

Some of them he didn't recognize, painted by a people who were long gone: the Blue Lion; a scattered group of warriors; the night sky in a deep blue.

Some of them he did.

Lance caught snatches of his own handwriting, an ugly, faded brown.

 _LANCE–_

 _BLUE PALADIN–_

 _…_ _IF YOU ARE READING THIS–_

 _BETRAYED–_

"Whoa," the others breathed in unison.

Pidge walked over to a patch of writing, stepping on a rock so he could run his hands over it.

"What do you guys think this means?"

 _VOLTRON WILL FORM AGAIN. I WILL WELCOME DEATH WITH OPEN ARMS IF THAT MEANS THIS UNIVERSE WILL BE SAFE._

"What are these?"

Shiro was inspecting the walls, and Keith came to stand by him. Lance followed, curious.

"Those are the lion carvings I was telling you about," he began as Lance stepped behind them, his feet sliding across rock and uncovering a new set of markings.

Blue hummed loudly in his mind, her presence growing stronger as she woke for the first time in ages. Warmth flooded Lance, and he let out a soft laugh as the markings began to light up, neon lights in the darkness.

"They've never done that before," Keith said, trailing off as the cave rumbled.

Lance smirked at the ground.

 _Just you wait_ , he thought. _You're in for a bit of a surprise._

Around their feet, an intricately-carved circle lit up brilliantly, illuminating their faces in blue light. Then the ground below them opened and swallowed them whole.

The five of them screamed as they tumbled downwards into darkness, Pidge holding onto Hunk for dear life as water followed them, sending them into a giant pool.

He hit the water, the sound echoing before he surfaced.

Lance was the first to stand, water dripping into his eyes as he looked up to where his Lion was waiting for him – for _them._

He'd waded out of the water by the time the others had recovered.

"Is this it?" Pidge's voice floated through the air. "Is this the Voltron?"

"It's got to be," Keith answered. "This must be what's been causing all those crazy energy spikes."

 _Actually_ , Lance wanted to say, _that was me._

"Looks like there's some kind of force field around it," Keith continued, walking up and tapping it with a finger. "How are we supposed to get through?"

Lance slipped up to the force field, smiling to himself.

"Maybe you just have to knock."

He rapped his knuckles against the force field. The moment his hand touched it, it rippled, energy crackling across its surface. Blue's eyes flashed, looking straight at him as the last of the barrier disappeared.

 _Five Lions, veering upwards in formation until they merged as one_ –

"Voltron," Shiro breathed as the vision faded.

"Okay, so I'm not crazy," Hunk said, relieved. "Voltron is– woah, it's like, a huge, _awesome_ robot."

"This is what they're looking for."

"Incredible."

Blue shifted, lifting herself off the ground and roaring in his mind. Then she lowered her massive head, opening to let him in.

"Please don't eat me! I can't die yet – there's so much food I haven't eaten yet, please!"

The others remained behind, stunned and scared, but Lance closed the distance between him and his Lion in a few long strides. When he stepped into the cockpit, a feeling of belonging filled him.

"Hi, Blue," he whispered aloud, sitting down slowly in the chair and relaxing.

The pilot seat shot forward as all of Blue's systems came online; he trailed a finger along the dashboard.

 _My paladin_ , she said, and Lance smiled.

Hunk and Pidge clambered into the cockpit, eyes widening as they looked around.

"Um, friendly reminder that we're in, like, a futuristic alien cat head," Hunk said, holding up a finger. "Just felt the need to point that out."

Blue chuffed a laugh, and Lance flexed his fingers, energy flowing between them. It gathered at his fingertips, ghosting across his hands, but Lance soothed the bond, willing the quintessence to remain as it was. It was too soon for _adunom_.

 _Easy, Blue_ , he thought. _Don't get_ too _excited, now._

 _No fun_ , she said back, but complied.

His hands danced across the dashboard, and Blue drew herself up to her full height, roaring loudly again.

 _Let's go home,_ she said, and he gripped the controls.

"Got it," he said aloud, and the others screamed as he and Blue pulled up, bursting out of the side of the caves and into the sky. He laughed as they spun, his heart lifting into his throat.

"You're– the worst– pilot– _ever!_ " Keith yelled.

"I'll show you worst pilot," he grumbled to himself. "Let's see how fast we can go!"

"No," said Hunk immediately. "No, nonono– Lance, don't do it, _Lance_ –"

They shot through the air, Blue lining up her limbs so they flew true as an arrow would to a target. Lance crowed as they looped around, breaking into a sprint when they hit the ground as the others screamed.

"Make it stop," Hunk begged.

"Sorry, bro," Lance replied, an easy grin playing on his lips, "but I can't."

 _Ready?_

 _Ready._

They tore into the sky, Blue blasting at full speed, rising higher and higher until Lance could see Galaxy Garrison, nothing more than small squares in the distance.

" _Where_ are you going?" Keith demanded.

Lance bit his lip. _Home._

"I'm not in control," he lied, "but B- it's telling me that there's an alien ship approaching Earth. We _have_ to stop it."

"Um, why don't we just give it to them? If this is that weapon thing they're looking for, maybe if we give it to them, they'll leave us alone. Sorry, lion. I mean, it's nothing personal–"

Lance snarled, "Like _hell_ we will," at the same time Shiro cried, "No!"

"You don't understand," he said when they all looked at him. "These monsters spread like a plague – there's no bargaining with them! Even if we give them the Lion, they won't stop until we're all prisoners or dead."

Hunk looked very pale. "Never mind."

Lance almost cried when they finally entered space. Being back with Blue, flying amongst the stars–

A roar tore through his thoughts, his bones shuddering with the weight of Blue's anger. Lance borrowed her eyes without thinking, the fragile barrier between their minds weakening as they shared sight.

"It's a ship," he breathed, head dizzy as he sank back into his own limited body.

Shiro's face was grim.

"They found me."

"Lance, get us out of here!"

Blue's anger roiled through the bond, so strong that Lance lost control, two minds merging into one in a heartbeat.

They bared their teeth in a snarl as they banked to the side, evading the Galran ship following them. They wanted to fight, to tear that ship apart, to avenge their brothers and sisters–

" _Lance!_ "

He snapped back into his body, mind shuddering from the aftereffects of emerging from _adunom_ too soon. He'd suffer for it later.

"Hang on," he told the others through gritted teeth, Blue a soothing presence with him.

 _Fight_ , Blue hissed, that awful anger rising in the both of them.

 _We can't._ Lance willed calm to seep into his bones like water would to earth and counted his heartbeats until they slowed and steadied.

They didn't know what they were facing. Lance and Blue were strong, yes, but they were a tiny bit out of practice, the Galra had gotten ten thousand years to develop their technology, and the four others in the cockpit each had their own opinions and would only prove to be a hindrance. There were just too many unknown factors to account for – fighting would only bring about their downfall.

So Lance pressed down the urge to fight and fled instead, moving together naturally with Blue as they twisted and turned, getting further and further away from Earth.

"We can't do this forever," Shiro said warningly, moving so he could press a hand to Lance's back through his sweat-soaked shirt.

"I know," he panted, dropping them into a barrel roll as a shot barely missed them.

On better days, they would have been able to crush the Galran ship like it was nothing. But the events of last night coupled with his muddled mind was starting to take its toll.

 _Blue_ , he whispered. _Do you think–_

 _Yes_ , she replied immediately.

Lance rallied his energy, and though it was a bad idea – especially considering what had happened earlier, merged with Blue again.

Together, they gathered strength, power made of both determination and desperation.

"They're gaining on us."

Pidge's voice was distant, muffled. It didn't matter. They needed to focus.

"They've fired a couple shots, but I don't think they're trying to hurt us." That was Keith. "I think they want to… capture us."

"That's not happening."

 _Just a little more._ The thought echoed between them, and they slowed, focusing.

The wormhole opened before them, crackling with quintessence, and they smiled.

"What _is_ that?"

"Lance? Hello? Earth to Lance? Outer space to Lance?"

"I think we're supposed to go through that."

"Where does it go?"

"Shiro, you're the adult – I mean, uh, senior officer – what do we do?"

The voices were enough to bring Lance back. He sagged back into his seat, exhausted, blinking up at the others as they tossed around questions in a panic.

"I don't know," Shiro said finally. "Lance, is the lion telling you anything?"

"Mmf," he managed, vision tunneling, but he forced words from his mouth. "Go through."

"I think…," Shiro hesitated. "I think the lion knows more than we do about this – and it's kept us safe so far, so I think we should trust it. But we're a team now. We decide together."

"Trust it," Pidge decided first.

"Yeah, that," said Hunk.

Keith was the last to answer, his expression tight. Lance wanted to get up and shake him, but he only had enough energy to get them through the wormhole safely.

Finally, Keith nodded jerkily.

Behind them, the Galran ship loomed, a tall, ominous structure. Before them, hope. Then, with no words or fanfare, they slipped through the wormhole and disappeared, just like that.

They reappeared above a planet that Lance didn't recognize.

"Whoa, that was…"

He tuned the others out and gently steered them downwards, staring at the castle on the ground. They landed in the courtyard, Blue opening to let them go.

Hunk ran out first, gagging and retching. They all winced in sympathy.

"I'm surprised it took this long," Pidge said, pushing up his glasses before stretching and meandering out of Blue. Keith and Shiro followed, leaving Lance alone in the cockpit for a moment.

"Blue," he mumbled.

The adrenaline was wearing off, and now Lance slumped, completely spent. He and Blue had gone through _adunom_ more times than he could count, nothing unusual for a situation like theirs, but being pulled out of it too quickly was dangerous.

Separating their minds took care, even in the heat of battle, but Lance had been so focused on keeping the others safe and evading the Galra that he hadn't.

 _Paladin._ Blue's worry pushed through him, and he staggered as he stood. A sense of urgency that wasn't his own slipped into his veins, and he moved faster to where the others were waiting.

He couldn't think straight. Cold seeped into his bones, the blood running through his veins freezing as his mind clouded over.

Shiro's face was suddenly hovering over his; a hand gripped his arm.

"Lance?" His voice sounded very faraway. "Are you alright, Lance?"

He might've answered, but the thought was gone before he remembered if he had.

 _Paladin_ , Blue said again, louder as Lance sank to the ground, exhausted. Worried voices rang around him, but he searched for Blue's and clung to the sound of her purr.

 _Stay awake_ , she commanded him, and Lance roused himself, trying. But he was tired and cold, and there were arms around him now – gentle, warm, kind.

 _Blue,_ he murmured, their minds brushing together.

Then nothing.

Lance floated in nothing, the edges tinted blue. He drifted for a quiet eternity, the only interruptions bursts of noises he thought might have been voices.

Cold. It was so cold here; he sank deeper and deeper, like he was underwater slowly falling to the bottom of the ocean. And just like that, his dream shifted, and Lance found himself staring up at the surface of the ocean, the shifting light getting further and further away.

He couldn't breathe. Couldn't move, either, his limbs numb as he struggled, staring at the light far above him.

A tug in his chest.

Lance strained, but there was nothing he could do–

–and he was stopped short, like something in his chest was attached to a long rope that had just been pulled taut.

 _Wake_.

The rope he'd felt materialized, then; Lance could suddenly move, lifting a hand and closing his fingers around it.

 _Wake._

The surface fractured and cracked, the light growing brighter.

And Lance woke, heart thundering in his chest as he panted, wide-eyed, twisting around as he tried to figure out where he was.

"Lance!"

A second later, a pair of large arms swept him up into a hug. Lance choked on air but relaxed into the hold, reaching up with a hand and patting Hunk's shoulder tiredly.

"Hey, buddy," he said.

"Look who decided to return to the land of the living," Pidge said dryly from somewhere nearby, but Lance couldn't see him through the bright yellow of Hunk's shirt.

"Unfortunately," came Keith's voice, and Lance pushed himself away from Hunk so he could squint at Keith.

"Hey!" he cried. "I saved your butts back there, you ungrateful–"

"Guys," Shiro said, and his voice was enough to shut the both of them up. He smiled at Lance. "Good to have you back."

Blue pushed at the back of his mind, and he sent back a wave of soothing calm. They'd pushed themselves too far; he hadn't been careful enough. But he was okay now–

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Lance scratched at the back of his neck then sat up fully as it registered that they weren't on Earth anymore.

Where were they?

To his left was a set of familiar-looking pods, every one empty. His eyes swept over the steps, the backlit grey walls, the pale light that washed over the entire room.

There, in the corner, he'd tended to the wounds of his second-youngest sister; there, he'd met Am'lei for the first time; there, he'd sat on the steps staring at a filled cryopod wondering who it'd been that had saved him in the midst of a raid, who the face on the other side of the glass was.

"Where…," he croaked, "where are we?"

He'd known, though. He'd known the moment they'd landed in the courtyard, had known even lost in dreams, had known when he'd woken up only minutes ago.

"The med bay," Hunk answered. "You alright?"

Lance considered the question for a moment. His muscles ached as he swung his feet over the edge of the bed he'd been put in, Hunk taking a step back. But the cold that had crept over him had disappeared.

"Yeah."

Hunk gripped his hand and lifted him to his feet; Lance swayed for a moment but stood steadily, meeting the others' eyes.

"Come on," Shiro said finally. "Let's go meet the others."

"Others?"

 _Blue_ , he thought frantically. _The others– what does he mean by… who…?_

She rumbled but didn't answer.

"Oh, man, you missed out," Pidge said, coming up on Lance's left and clapping his shoulder. "Though personally, I think the princess dodged a bullet on that one."

The gears in his mind started turning. His interested piqued.

"Princess?"

Pidge groaned. "If you flirt with her–"

"Please don't," Keith interrupted.

Lance grinned at them. A princess? Sounded like his kind of girl. No girl (or boy, or, really, _anyone_ ) in the universe could resist the Blue Paladin's charm.

Shiro had run up ahead as they entered the control room. He was talking to two other people, their backs turned to them. One was wearing a regal-looking dress, her moon-white hair in tresses that fell to her waist. The other wore a uniform that was just as formal, lifting a hand to scratch at a head full of orange hair.

"–run the diagnostics," the man was saying.

"Of course," the princess responded.

Shiro turned and spotted them.

"There you are," he said. "Ah, you didn't meet him earlier, but I'd like to introduce Lance."

He mentally prepared his most dazzling smile and a good pick-up line from his arsenal of bad jokes. Pidge slugged his arm as the two turned around, smiles on their faces.

"A pleasure to meet you," the princess said primly, holding her hand out to be shaken, but he'd frozen at the sight of her face and the man two steps behind her.

"Would you look at that?" Keith whispered loudly. "He's finally shut up!"

Any other time, he would've responded with an equally sharp jab, but he couldn't speak. Then he realized they were all waiting for him, so Lance shut the mouth he hadn't noticed dropping and swept into a bow before taking her hand.

"Princess," he said quietly. "It's… nice to meet you, too."

He glanced up, their eyes meeting. He waited one heartbeat, then two, anticipation crawling up his spine as he waited for recognition to flash across her face.

But nothing happened.

"I knew someone with your name once," she said faintly, and her advisor stepped forward, pressing a hand to her shoulder before reaching out to shake Lance's hand.

"Funny, isn't it?" he said brightly. "Small universe, eh?"

He chuckled, and Lance forced a smile onto his face.

"Yeah," he agreed, staring at the faces of the princess Allura and the royal advisor Coran. "Small universe."

* * *

 **aaaaaaaaa they're now officially off Earth!**

 **Okay, so I know I don't explain things very clearly/in depth, but I promise any questions you have - for example, about _adunom_ , will be answered eventually. Everything will unfold as it should. For now, enjoy the ride! (tbh if you want, you can go to my tumblr ** achievingelysium **and talk to me!)**

 **Also, a playlist for familiar is on my tumblr if you're curious.**

 **A last note: I update sporadically. I might update twice a week then not post for a month. So.** **Cheers!**

 _achieving elysium_


	3. Chapter 3

**familiar**  
chapter three

* * *

Apparently, Lance had missed a lot when he'd gone off into la-la land. Hunk caught him up as they walked, Pidge dropping in a fact here or there.

As much as he appreciated the crash course, Lance was a lot more concerned with the two Alteans walking ahead of them. They had their heads together and were talking in low voices that Lance strained to hear.

"–and like, apparently we _each_ get a lion, like, how cool is that?"

"You missed the really cool magic star map, man," Pidge said, pushing up his glasses. "Also the princess had this whole spiel prepared about piloting the lions? She said something about an inquisitive personality and a pilot of intellect and daring."

Lance ground his teeth together and tried not to think of Uadsty.

"Wow," he said instead.

They stopped outside, where Blue was lying down, sprawled out on the bridge and soaking up the sun.

"Lance, you and Hunk are going to go get the Yellow Lion," Shiro said. "Pidge and I will take a pod to find the Green Lion. Keith, you stay here."

"What's up with that?" Lance said under his breath before saluting Shiro. "Ten-four, Shiro."

Shiro just cast a side glance at them. "Let's get going."

"They couldn't pinpoint the location of the Red Lion," Hunk murmured back.

Lance considered this for a moment. Keith was a good fit for Red, but it'd be interesting to see him earn Red's approval. She tended to be a little picky and hard to handle.

Of course, Keith would get the hang of it, but Lance figured he'd at least get a bit of fun before Red settled.

"I'll ready the castle's defenses," Allura said, her eyes sharp. "Coran, go with Shiro and Pidge to prepare a pod, will you?"

"Right on, princess!" Coran cried. "And, ah, paladins, we'll only be able to keep the wormholes open for about two of your Earth… hours. Both planets should be pretty peaceful, though!"

Hunk clambered into Blue behind Lance, holding onto the back of the seat as her systems lit up.

"Bud, I think there's an extra seat back there," Lance said, jerking his thumb towards the back. There were a few, actually, small ones they'd cram passengers on. Hunk eyed them distrustfully but perched on the edge of a seat anyway.

Coran appeared on screen. " _Enjoy the trip!_ "

A wormhole opened before them; Lance counted backwards from ten then shot through, Hunk screaming for his life behind him.

They landed on an outcropping overlooking a complex set of caves. Lance steered Blue so they followed the blinking yellow dot on the screen–

 _Paladin,_ Blue said warningly. A second later, the alarms began to blare, and Lance yelled when they narrowly avoided being hit.

"I didn't sign up for this," Hunk screaming as they spun into a barrel dive.

Lance gripped the controls, trying to avoid the Galran forces, but there were a _lot_ of them.

"What the fuck happened to peaceful, Coran?" he swore through gritted teeth, retreating.

The red lights continued to flash as they danced in the sky, the shooting keeping them from getting too close to the ground. They wouldn't be able to land.

"They're mining," Hunk yelled between screams. "but they haven't found the Yellow Lion. We should be right above it! Do you think–"

"Hunk, buddy," Lance began, his thoughts brushing against Blue's. "Please don't hate me."

Before Hunk could process the words, Blue opened her mouth, sending Hunk flying towards the ground. She snapped it shut a second later and turned sharply to the right.

There was no time to think about Hunk. He was smart; he could take care of himself – and Yellow would help him.

Lance and Blue? They were here to do two things: distract the Galra and _survive._

"Blue!"

A volley of shots kicked up dust, and Lance cursed as they once again narrowly missed being hit. The air would clear soon enough, but the Galra had a few precious seconds of advantage.

 _Paladin_ , Blue growled, and they shot upwards.

"There's too many of them," Lance panted as Blue sent a sheet of ice towards a few of the soldiers.

 _I know_ , Blue responded.

Something sparked at the edge of their shared consciousness.

"Good job, Hunk," he muttered, not caring that his friend couldn't hear him. "The Yellow Lion is back in business, baby!"

Something caught Blue's attention; Lance sucked in a sharp breath when they both saw the blaster aimed at the cave entrance where Hunk had hightailed into.

He wasn't sure who moved first. In a split second, Blue was on the blaster, tearing at it with lethal metal claws and letting loose a feral, protective growl that Lance copied.

It left them open to attack, though.

"Blue," he hissed, seeing the row of blasters aimed towards them.

 _Better us than them_ , she thought, crouching, and Lance agreed silently. They prepared–

And Yellow burst free, his armor taking the volley of shots that would've torn Blue into smithereens. Lance cheered in relief. Strong and durable, Yellow could take hits that Blue couldn't.

The comms on the Lions crackled.

"You okay, Lance?"

"Holy shit, Hunk," he responded.

"Definitely alive," Hunk said.

Allura appeared on the periphery of his vision. "Hurry back, paladins, please. The wormhole won't last much longer."

Blue and Yellow looked at each other then took off, spiraling up into the sky until they were too far to be hit. Lance slumped in relief when they got safely through the wormhole.

He noted that Shiro and Pidge were already waiting for them, Green having been retrieved successfully.

"So," he said casually, "you think they had a better time than we did?"

" _Yes_ ," Hunk groaned.

 _Definitely not,_ Blue answered at the same time, and Lance laughed.

He and Hunk stumbled out of their respective Lions as Allura and Coran rushed out of the Castle towards them.

"You made it," Allura said, relief evident in her voice.

He and Hunk exchanged glances.

"Yeah, just barely," Lance replied, waving a hand. "Coran, what happened to peaceful? We almost died a few times!"

Shiro looked rather alarmed by this.

"Man, that was a nightmare," he continued. "I felt like Hunk out there!"

Hunk doubled over, hands on his knees as he took a few deep breaths.

"I _am_ Hunk," he groaned miserably, though he didn't throw up.

"What do you mean, you _almost died a few times_ ," Shiro said, eyes wide. "Are you both alright?"

Lance shrugged at him like: _what can you do?_ So maybe the planet hadn't been peaceful, but a lot had changed in the past ten thousand years. It was probably to be expected.

"Oh, yeah," Hunk answered. "Just peachy."

"Peachy?" questioned Coran. He and Allura exchanged confused looks, and Pidge sighed, patting his arm.

"You'll learn," he said. "Did we find the Red Lion yet?"

Coran clapped his hands together. "We did."

Keith slunk in, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow.

"You don't sound very sure of that," he accused, and Coran's smile faded, looking nervous now.

"I've got good news and bad news," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Here's the good news: the Red Lion is really, really, _really_ close by."

"Great," Keith said, unfolding his arms and moving so he could stand next to them. "We'll just get the Lions, go to this place, and bust out the Red Lion, no big deal."

"Ah," Coran said, holding up a finger. "The bad news is, the Red Lion is on a Galran ship orbiting the planet Arus."

"Well, fuck," said Pidge.

"Language."

"Good news again," Coran said lightly. "We're on Arus!"

The princess' lips turned downwards into a frown.

"Coran, you said the ship wouldn't be here for at _least_ a few moons. It's only been a few tecks!"

Lance leaned over so he could murmur to Pidge: "What the _fuck_ is a _teck?_ "

Pidge elbowed him and hissed back, "How the hell am _I_ supposed to know?"

"Well, see, finger counting doesn't quite do the trick like it used to, Princess," explained Coran, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing nervously. "Guess my calculations were a bit off."

Hunk snorted.

There was a beep as the Castle received an incoming message, a screen opening to reveal a Galran commander, as evident by the pins that lined his uniform.

" _Princess Allura, this is Commander Sendak of the Galra Empire. I come on behalf of Emperor Zarkon, Lord of the Universe. I am here to retrieve your Lions._ "

The commander paused for a second, then smiled, showing rows of sharp teeth in a predatory fashion.

" _Turn them over to me, and I might just let you live. Refuse, and I will destroy this planet._ "

The recording stopped there, the screen disappearing as the seven of them looked at each other, lost.

"Yeah," Lance broke the silence. "How 'bout… no."

"Okay, everybody, don't panic. We can–"

"Shiro, you're telling _me_ to not panic? The scary alien guy who chased us earlier is back and driving his giant battleship to us an- and…"

"We only have three lions," Pidge reminded them helpfully, and Lance sighed, sinking into his memories.

Zarkon would've taken control easily: there'd be a few quick words with King Alfor and Coran, a plan formed between the five paladins faster than a _hetta_ could run, and Team Voltron would be off to defeat the threat.

"Lance, pay attention!"

"The particle barrier won't hold against that ion cannon forever," Allura warned, though she was already at the controls, readying the castle.

 _Retreat_ was Lance's first thought.

It was an easy thing to do. With the castle's power reserves, there would be no problem opening a wormhole they could simply pop through. No harm, no spilled blood, and they'd all live to see another dawn.

"What about one of those hole things?" Hunk suggested tentatively.

But.

But they couldn't just _abandon_ Arus, not when Lance knew that the Galra would stop at nothing to capture the Lions.

But Red was still on that ship waiting for a pilot, and as much as he fought with Keith, Voltron would be nothing without the Red Paladin.

 _But we do not abandon our pride_.

"No," Lance murmured lowly, glancing at the others, still locked in deep discussion even as he retreated into his mind. "We don't."

But he was still the Blue Paladin, a sworn defender of the universe, so Lance swallowed back his fear and dampened the instinct that told him to run as far away from this place as he could get.

"So… what _do_ we do?"

Allura clapped her hands together, but even she looked uncertain about what to do.

"We could totally leave."

"Or," Pidge said, settling a glare at Hunk. "We could _totally_ stay."

"I mean, couldn't we, like, sort of form Voltron? We don't have to be a _full_ Transformer, right?"

Shiro rubbed a hand over his face, already over the conversation. His brows pinched together as he looked at Allura.

"We will stay," Allura said finally, and under the lights, Lance could see her father in her face and in her words.

She took a breath and continued. "You five are paladins – the Lions of Voltron are meant to be piloted by _you._ We must defeat Zarkon… Voltron is the universe's only hope, now. You… _we_ are the universe's only hope."

The others went quiet.

Then Shiro nodded. "Then we stand with you. Right, guys?"

"Right," they chorused.

Allura seemed to take strength from their words. She regarded them for another moment before spinning on her heel and walking briskly down the hall.

"Follow me," she said over her shoulder. There was so much authority in her voice that no one argued.

She led them through the halls to the weaponry. On one wall was an assortment of weapons and armor meant for anyone who needed it. But the wall paled in comparison to the five glass cases facing the door.

In each case, a suit of armor waited for its paladin; next to it, a bayard hung on the wall, not yet activated.

Allura spread her hands.

"These are your suits of armor," she said, before she pointed to each one, starting left and going right. "Hunk, Pidge, Shiro, Keith…"

She turned back to look at Lance apologetically.

"We'll have to find some armor that fits," she told him, gesturing at the far wall. "I'm sure we can find something. I… I apologize, but the Blue Paladin's armor and bayard are missing – as is your bayard, Shiro. I'm sorry."

"That's alright," said Shiro, already in his armor. He smiled grimly. "Humans are the adaptable sort. I think I can manage."

"Cool," Hunk said, examining the armor that had expanded to fit him.

Keith yelped as his bayard extended into a sword, before his surprised expression turned into a pleased one. He swung it a few times experimentally, only missing Pidge because he was so short.

"Come on, then," Coran said, pulling his mustache as he looked at Lance thoughtfully. "I can think of a few pieces-"

"It's okay," Lance interrupted, holding up his hand. "I, um, I think there's some armor and the bayard thing in… er, the Blue Lion."

Allura blinked in surprise.

"What a turn of luck," Coran said, smiling, though he looked a bit nervous.

They didn't suspect a thing.

"I'll go get it, I guess?"

Allura nodded at him. "Go, and stay in your Lion. You leave immediately."

The advisor pulled Allura aside, speaking in low tones, though Lance could still hear him.

"Princess… are you sure about this? I'm not sure they're the best the universe has to offer."

Allura pressed her lips together in a thin line.

"They're all we have, Coran."

As Lance turned to leave, Shiro addressed the others authoratively. "Suit up, boys!"

"The bayard," Allura began, "is the traditional weapon… ah, I see you've figured it out already."

There was a buzzing of electricity as Pidge tested his bayard out on Hunk, smiling apologetically.

"Cute, right?"

Lance left quickly before he could be shocked, too, escaping out into the hall so he could breathe.

 _What do we do, Blue?_

Blue hummed, confident. _We will do as we have always done._

She was waiting for him, her mouth already open. He climbed in, making his way to the back of the cockpit and pressing his hand to a small scanner. The wall split open; Lance descended into Blue's stomach, scooting around pieces of broken glass.

His armor was where he'd left it, fit on the wall.

Lance swallowed as he stripped and stepped first into his flight suit, the dark black material still perfectly tailored to his body. Then he put a hand on his breastplate where his heart would be and sighed.

The armor was damaged. A tear on the left side stained with blue, scratches and marks littering the surface. Lance's ribs ached at the memory.

He ran his hand over the torn portion, mentally noting that he'd have to fix it later; he hadn't had the time or the materials to fix it on Earth.

"He almost killed me, Blue," he whispered. "If we hadn't… if…"

Lance closed his fingers around his bayard, the weight both comforting and haunting.

He knew where Shiro's bayard was. Of _course_ Zarkon would have kept it, the sword of a thousand legends. Lance remembered the flash of the bayard, that sickly purple light, remembered being frozen as Blue screamed in his mind, remembered the blade arcing through the air towards him…

 _Lance._

He shook himself free of the memories.

 _Ten thousand years,_ he reminded them both. "But it felt like only yesterday."

Lance put his helmet on and turned his comms on, making his way back to the cockpit. Blue stood when he sat down, flexing his fingers and running his hands over the controls.

 _Nothing like last time_ , he told her. _No ad unom unless we really have to._

It was dangerous, anyway, the bond they shared. But Lance had been trained to handle it, spent years learning how to join minds with Blue – years, he supposed, that he'd thrown right out of the window the day before.

His comms crackled.

" _Lance, are you there?"_

"I'm here," he confirmed.

" _Good."_

Allura's face suddenly appeared on the screen; Lance hoped she couldn't see the state of his armor, though she didn't seem to notice.

" _The Red Lion must be retrieved from the Galran ship_ ," she said.

" _No_ ," Keith bit out sarcastically. " _But how are we supposed to find it? That's a pretty big ship, if you hadn't noticed."_

" _Not we_ ," Pidge corrected. " _More like_ you. _Good luck."_

" _Actually, Pidge is right,_ " Hunk piped in, " _'cause you should be able to feel its presence once we can manage to get you close enough. That part's not the problem. It's the 'getting you close enough' that is."_

"Yeah," he agreed. "You know that energy you said you were feeling out in the desert?"

" _How could I forget?_ "

"It's like that," he said. "I kinda feel it with the Blue Lion. Trust me, you won't miss it."

" _Trust you."_ Keith snorted. " _That's an easy thing to do._ "

" _Keith,_ " Allura and Shiro said at the same time.

" _Remember, the Red Lion is very tempermental,_ " Allura said, " _and you will have to earn her respect._ "

"Should be easy for the great Keith Kogane," he muttered.

" _Okay, team Voltron,"_ Shiro said. " _Let's do this._ "

Team Voltron. Lance liked the sound of that.

* * *

 **Sorry this took so long! School bogged me down, and this fic was really a struggle to write. Hopefully, though, I can try to crank out a chapter a month.**

 **Hope you liked! (Reviews are much appreciated.)**

 **ALSO PLEASE DO NOT SPOIL SEASON TWO FOR ME I HAVEN'T WATCHED IT. (But, also, come find me on tumblr now at chasejackson!)**

 _achieving elysium_


	4. Chapter 4

**familiar**  
chapter four

* * *

"So what's the plan?" Lance asked, leaning back in his seat a little. "We sneak in, bam bam bam, break out the Red Lion, get out?"

In the corner of the screen, Keith scowled.

" _We need a distraction. Something for the Galra to focus on so we can…,_ " Shiro took a deep breath, like he couldn't believe what he was saying, " _…yes, sneak in, pchew pchew pchew, break out the Red Lion, and get out."_

Pidge made an offended noise. " _That was the worst sound effect–"_

 _"_ _Er, guys? There's Galra out there, remember? Pow wow, get the Red Lion?_ "

"Lame," Lance said, but he sent Hunk a grin to show he was joking. He then sobered, the smile on his face fading into a hard line. "Alright, so who're the unlucky suckers stuck as distractions?"

 _"_ _Well, since you so enthusiastically volunteered, Lance,_ " the black paladin said. " _Hunk, you too. Keith, Pidge, and I will go in the Green Lion since it's the smallest and retrieve the Red Lion._ "

He grinned again. "I'm great at distractions. Can't fail at that, Shiro."

 _"_ _No doubt about that_ , _"_ Keith muttered in his ear. " _I bet if you walked in there and just talked to Sendak, he'd hand us the Red Lion in ten seconds flat."_

 _"_ _Make that five_ ," Pidge threw in.

Lance rolled his eyes.

" _Care to play the damsel in distress, Lance?_ " Hunk asked. " _Like, maybe if we pretend we're giving up our Lions so first, um, they won't_ shoot _at us, and second, so we can get closer and… attack. If we need to."_

Hunk looked uneasy saying that, but there was determination written in the planes of his face, too, in the way his forehead crinkled and the hard line of his mouth.

"So… let's get sucked up by a giant space vacuum, I guess," Lance said, trying to smile.

" _That doesn't count,"_ said Hunk, pressing a few buttons. " _Space vacuums are, like, black holes."_

" _Just go, both of you._ "

Blue hummed with energy, twisting in the air as they gained speed.

"So, like… how do you surrender in a Lion?"

Not once had Voltron surrendered to their many enemies; according to an unspoken code, the Lions were to be protected at all costs. Lance sighed, blowing out air through his nose.

There was a first time for everything, he supposed.

"I won't let them take you," he told Blue.

 _Nor I you_ , she responded.

" _I have contacted Commander Sendak,_ " Allura told them, a frown marring her pretty face, " _and have told_ _him the Blue and Yellow paladins are surrendering. Hopefully, he'll believe me…_ "

Light washed over them; Lance glanced to the left and caught sight of Yellow moving upwards by some invisible force. He could feel it, too, the movement not something he was controlling.

"Be ready," he said for both Hunk and himself.

" _Just in case,"_ Hunk mumbled.

" _We're on the ship,_ " Pidge reported. " _I think Keith has found the Red-"_

He'd gasped, the sharp inhale cutting off the rest of his words. Too low for Lance to hear, he and Shiro spoke together for a moment, their words overlapping.

" _New plan,"_ Shiro said out of the blue. " _Keith, you go alone. I know you can find your Lion._ "

" _Shiro…"_

" _Remember: patience yields focus."_

The words seemed to strike a chord in Keith; he agreed quietly, and Lance heard him run off.

 _Paladin_ , Blue snarled, and Lance snapped his attention back to his surroundings. They were getting too close to the ship. Lance could see a platoon of Galran soldiers waiting for them, guns trained on the two Lions, and he grit his teeth together.

" _Do you see the soldiers? Holy quiznak, those are soldiers."_

Lance pressed his lips together.

"I think it's 'just in case' time, Hunk," he replied, hands tightening around the controls. "Let's get that beam!"

" _The Garrison didn't teach us any of this_ ," Hunk said, but he turned Yellow so they were facing towards the ship.

"Ready?"

The two Lions shot at the same time, beams bursting towards the ship. The soldiers that had been waiting for them scattered as fire erupted along the platform, and the beam that had been pulling them in dissipated.

There was a loud humming sound, though; Lance felt it more than he heard it. But it wasn't Blue.

Both he and his Lion turned and found the barrel of an ion cannon aimed towards them. His veins turned to ice. As one, he and Blue dropped, plummeting downwards as the humming grew louder.

"Move!" he yelled just as Keith shouted frantically in his ear.

Hunk cried out as the ion cannon just barely missed them. "We gotta take this thing out!"

But there were fighter pods out now, too; Lance flew left to avoid them, but they followed his movements.

" _Befir_ ," Lance swore under his breath. "Er, I'm a little busy!"

Hunk, apparently, took the initiative; through Blue's eyes, Lance caught him slamming into the side of the ion cannon, the beam jerking to the side and cutting through a few fighter pods.

" _Why won't it break?_ " Hunk yelled in frustration.

Lance picked off a few pods that had turned to face Hunk instead, drawing their attention back to him.

" _Break!_ " Hunk yelled again.

The ion cannon shuddered as Yellow tore through it, the force combined with her claws breaking it.

" _Yes!_ " Keith cried, his voice tinny-sounding in Lance's ears. Apparently he'd been victorious as well.

"Let's get outta here!" Lance yelled, firing a few more pods before he turned to flee. They had the Red Lion – it was time to go.

" _Aw, yeah!_ " Hunk cried, the two of them streaking back towards Arus to land inside the Castle. Green appeared a moment later, followed by Red.

The Black Lion was just as magnificent as Lance remembered. Black, silver, and gold; the V-shaped light flaring from his chest; the _wings…_

Of course, Black had nothing on Blue, the beauty his Lion was.

Blue purred in agreement.

"Woah," his fellow paladins chorused.

Black rose to his full height, eyes flashing before he opened his mouth and roared. The call stirred something in Lance's blood; he raised his fist in the air as the other Lions answered, the pride reunited at last.

In the background, alarms blared.

"No…"

" _Paladins,_ " Allura cried, " _you must form Voltron and stop Sendak now! The ship is entering the Arusian atmosphere._ "

"Oh, quiznak," Lance declared.

" _Come on!_ "

The five of them tore out of the Castle and into the air, landing one after another next to the bridge.

 _"_ _The defenses won't last long,"_ Allura warned. _"The particle barrier… against that ion cannon, we don't stand much of a chance."_

 _"_ _No way,_ " Hunk cried, seeing the telling glow building at the barrel, _"the cannon's back up already?"_

Sendak's ship, Lance had to admit, was a terrifying sight to behold. Fighter pods swarmed around the Castle like a flock of vultures, circling as they waited for the best moment to strike. Gunfire peppered the Castle's defenses.

" _Alright_ , _how do we do this?_ "

It was then the cannon fired.

Red light erupted around the particle barrier, fire racing across the shield. Lance watched, heart in his throat, as the defenses held – one tick, then two, then three – before it gave under the blast, flickering slowly out of existence.

It was the moment the fighter pods had been waiting for. Blue made a warning noise, and they twisted together, leaping to the side to avoid an oncoming shot.

" _Maybe we should focus on staying alive first!"_

The five of them leapt into action. Yellow roared victoriously as she caught a pod in her mouth and sent it slamming into another one.

"Hey, beautiful," Lance murmured, but he didn't need to continue. Blue was already lining up the shots, targets lighting up red on the screen. He worked with her.

Aim. Fire.

Aim. Fire.

Aim. Fi–

"Keith, move!" he yelled, catching sight of the fighter pod about to slam right into Red.

Blue growled, and he swung her so they could leap forwards together. Teeth tore through metal; Blue caught the pod mid-air and sent it flying away in pieces.

Laser fire cut along Blue's flank, and she cried out. Lance made a similar noise, the pain echoing through their bond. He wasn't fast enough to maneuver her, still a little stunned, and they went crashing into Red.

" _Lance_ ," Keith groaned over the comms, " _get_ _out of_ _the way!_ "

He grit his teeth at the blatant order, but before he could say anything back, Shiro called for their attention.

" _Everyone, we need to form Voltron!"_

 _"_ _How? They didn't teach us_ this _at the Garrison!"_

 _"_ _Yeah, and I don't see any kind of button for this… there's always a button!"_

"Guys," Lance started, wetting his lips, "maybe we should focus on, like… becoming on–"

" _You must work together,_ " Allura interrupted. " _Only then can you truly form Voltron._ "

He pressed his lips together.

" _Okay,_ " said Shiro. " _Let's just… let's fly in formation and see how it goes. On three."_

He didn't sound sure of himself, but the command was there. He steered Blue to where they were supposed to be, the five Lions lining up at the edge of a rocky cliff. He could sense Blue's uneasiness at the formation. She was right; they wouldn't be able to form Voltron like this.

"Guys," he said again, "I don't think this is…"

" _One, two, three,_ " Shiro called, authority lining his voice, and though Lance wanted to protest, he bit his lip and swallowed his words. Blue growled again.

They flew forward together. Lance closed his eyes and found Blue waiting for him. They reached out as one with their minds, looking for the others, but there was nothing there.

 _Am'lei_ , he thought into the silence. He couldn't find her. There was no sign of that crackling fire, that wild passion she carried.

 _Keith,_ Blue reminded him. _Keith._

" _I don't think this is working…"_

Something tugged Blue upwards. Lance's eyes flew open, a seed of hope sprouting in his chest. This wasn't right, though.

 _They will have to tear through me to take you._

" _No_ ," Lance pleaded. This wasn't real. This wasn't happening.

He pushed at the controls, but nothing happened. Blue tried, but the pull of the beam was too strong. Lance pressed the buttons in front of him frantically, trying to think of a way out.

" _This is it._ _Oh, God, this is it._ "

" _Can I freak out now? I think I'm gonna freak out now. We're being sucked into an alien ship. Not good. Nope. Oh, no._ "

Above them, Sendak's ship loomed ominously. Lance fought for control, scrambling to move even an inch. Light leaked into the cockpit, swathing everything in purple.

"Blue," he whispered.

They were trapped, he realized. There was no way out. They couldn't form Voltron.

" _It's been an honor flying with you boys._ "

A goodbye.

He was going to fail. Sendak would capture them, would alert Zarkon, and then the universe's last hope would flicker and die like a candle in the wind. Lance wasn't good enough on his own.

" _No,_ " said Shiro, and he sounded so much like the Zarkon he knew that Lance straightened in his seat.

" _We are_ not _giving up. We can do this._ "

 _Paladin_. Blue ghosted along the edges of his mind, waiting, and he reached out again. Not for Am'lei this time, no – but for Keith, bloody knuckles and sharp satisfaction and fire; for Pidge, glasses and the computer's late night glow and the green of spring; for Hunk, sunshine warm and the smell of steeping tea and earth; for Shiro, wrapped in smoke and the light of the stars and the neverending sky.

" _We can't fail,_ " Shiro said, " _because we are the only ones standing between Zarkon and everyone else. We will not fail. If we work together, we can win together._ "

Someone reached back, an unsure touch, and Lance connected. Color burst in his mind, first black followed by the others.

" _Yeah!_ " they shouted. Blue shifted, and suddenly, one became five became one.

" _I can't believe… we did it,_ " Keith shouted first.

" _Hell yeah we did!_ " Pidge called enthusiastically.

" _I'm… I'm a leg. I'm a leg, you guys!_ "

" _Let's take out that cannon, everyone_ ," Shiro said.

It was like something had fallen into place. Red hammered into the ion cannon, and the shot went wide, arcing away from the Castle. They shoved again, this time both Keith and Pidge, and the cannon was torn off completely.

Lance watched it fall and smiled.

"Come on, Keith," he said.

There was a familiar hum; for a moment, he could feel Red, too, burning. She purred into his mind and then released the shot she'd been holding, cutting through the ship.

They slammed into the hull, and Green sent another shot tearing through the ship.

 _One more_ _time,_ Lance thought. Maybe it was the bond, or maybe they were all thinking it, but Voltron circled around.

Lance fed all his energy into Blue, their quintessence flowing into each other.

" _Now_ ," Shiro roared, and they let out a cry, ramming into Sendak's ship. Lance gave everything he got – his grief, his rage, his determination.

" _Yes!_ " echoed through the comms.

The sky exploded above them, and Lance watched as the fires raged against the heavens. He laughed a little, relishing in the feeling. They'd done it. They'd defeated Sendak and… and they'd formed Voltron.

"We did it, Blue," he said as they disbanded.

Blue said nothing, but he could feel her joy at being joined with her pride once more. They still had a long ways to go, Lance figured. Forming Voltron hadn't been easy, and the connection as it should've been.

But it was a start. It was a start, and Lance would take it.

"Good work," Allura praised when they trickled in after the battle. Lance pulled off his helmet and tucked it under his arm. Hunk was already sprawled on the floor, spent, and Pidge looked like he was ready to join him.

"We did it," Shiro responded, his eyes alight with hope.

"Yeah, we did," Keith said, and the two smiled at each other.

"Honestly, though, how?" Hunk asked. "I mean, I screamed a lot. Maybe that helped?"

He popped off his helmet.

Pidge, however, was staring at the floor. He slid his glasses back on and frowned. Lance moved, opening his mouth to say something, but Shiro beat him to it. He put a hand on Pidge's back and murmured something quietly, a little too low for Lance to hear.

He turned away, a little bitter at the sight. They were a team, thrown together by the universe in the hopes that they could work together.

They weren't _his_ team. His chest ached.

"Lance, are you alright?" Coran asked, and Lance spun around, surprised. The man's voice was alarmed. "Are you hurt? We should get you in a cyropod–"

"What?"

He was fine. A couple of scratches, maybe a little bruising, but otherwise, the only thing Lance could think of was how tired he was.

"You're bleeding," Coran continued.

Lance crossed his arms over his chest. Keith walked over.

"You're _what?_ "

"I'm not," he said quickly. "I'm fine."

He looked down at his armor, finally remembering. By the appearance of it, he should've been dead, but that'd been a long time ago.

"That's not mine," he said quietly, gesturing at the blood. "It was just… there. When I found it."

Coran's brows drew together. Lance didn't miss the dark look that flitted across his face, nor the glance that he shared with Allura.

The princess didn't look at all like he was expecting. Her expression was stormy, her lips pressed into a hard line. She was angry, the light in her eyes harsh.

He was dead to them, had died the same day Altea had fallen.

 _Good_ , Lance thought vehemently. He didn't want to be Talin Forsune - liar, murderer, coward. He just wanted to be Lance, the boy from nowhere.

"I see," said Coran finally. "We'll have to fix that up. Won't take long, I suppose, but maybe we _should_ fit you in some armor. Can't have you going out and about like that."

Lance ran to catch up to him. The Altean gave him a smile.

"Sorry," he said. Coran raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever for?"

Lance shrugged. "Nothing."

 _For everything_ , his bones said, _for everything._

* * *

 **So. I mentioned this on AO3, but I've seen S2 and. Yeah, a lot of that material will be featured in this fic.**

 **If you like it, please leave me a nice comment! Much appreciated, my dears. Or come talk to me on tumblr chasejackson. And if you have questions, ask away, though I can't say too much.**

 _achieving elysium_


	5. Chapter 5

**familiar**  
 _chapter five_

* * *

"What were they like?" Lance asked, holding his arms out steadily as Coran circled around his body. At his curious look, Lance amended, "The paladins. From… before."

"Arms down," Coran said instead of answering. He stroked his mustache thoughtfully before snatching a few pieces of armor and tossing them in Lance's direction. "Put those on."

Lance did as he was told quietly. Maybe he'd overstepped his boundaries.

Then, Coran said: "The former Blue Paladin was… quite the character. Loud, always had something to say. A flirt, too, rather charismatic! He could make most anyone swoon, though it was all fun, really."

Lance raised an eyebrow and fit the vambraces to his arm, twisting his wrist so he could look at it.

"But he had a good heart," Coran said, "and though he liked to drag his feet most of the time, he could be serious when the situation called."

He tapped the bayard Lance was holding. "Good in the field, too."

It was almost surreal, hearing Coran speak about him. The words seemed genuine enough. And the look on his face… there was only thoughtfulness there, perhaps a hint of grief if Lance looked close enough.

"What happened to him?" he asked, turning his gaze to his real armor, set in a glass case where it would slowly be patched up. He'd always joked that they were like cyropods for armor, though usually they'd be used to quick fixes after battle.

The expression on Coran's face changed. He sighed, clapping a hand on Lance's shoulder.

"A story for another day," he said, then smiled. "Armor fit alright? Nothing too loose or tight?"

Lance walked in a circle, feeling the armor move with him. "Yeah."

"Great!" Coran clapped his hands together, a mischievous light shining in his eyes. "Just in time for some training."

He was dragged through the Castle, Coran pointing out the different rooms as they went and babbling away about stories featuring a younger Coran. Nothing had changed since Lance had seen it last, the architecture still as beautiful as he remembered. Faint blue light from the walls lit their path.

"I was thinking of running some tests," Coran explained when they'd reached the training deck. "It's been ten thousand years – this Castle's in need of a check-up. You wouldn't mind helping, would you?"

"Sure," Lance said, then muttered under his breath, "not like you left me much of a choice." He went through the door anyway, walking to the center of the room.

" _Alright, I'm just going to make sure it's working properly,_ " Coran told him, waving through the windows. His voice echoed strangely in the training deck. " _You might want to prepare for battle._ "

"Thanks," Lance said, but he hefted his bayard up in his hand. He hadn't had much of a chance to train on Earth, anyway, besides a couple of classes where they'd learned some basic combat skills.

" _Ready?"_

"Um, gimme a sec," he replied.

" _A sec? Sounds interesting._ "

Lance focused on the bayard. He couldn't use his old weapon, not with Coran watching. It would be far too recognizable. He had to use something else.

An idea formed in Lance's mind. Bayards could shift forms, though it did take training to do it. It was hard but rewarding, allowing its wielder to adapt in battle if needed.

Lance himself had never really had to, but he'd seen Zarkon switch between several forms. It was his turn now.

"Come on," Lance muttered, focusing. It had to work. It had to.

He felt the bayard shiver in his hand and gasped in delight when he found the heavy weight of a gun greet him. He'd been pretty good with a gun at the Garrison, so it would work out well enough.

Coran would get to make sure the training deck was in working order. Lance, on the other hand, would get to see how good he was with a gun.

" _A rifle_." Coran's voice floated through the speakers. " _Ah, good choice._ "

"Target practice: level one," a robotic voice said. Lance readied himself, holding the rifle in both hands and slowly turning. Individual practice was just as important as team exercises, but it meant there was no one watching Lance's back.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lance caught a flicker of movement. He whirled and shot, his blood pumping.

Another drone to his left. There was a sound behind him; Lance spun, keeping his weight even on the balls of his feet, and raising his gun in time to block an oncoming blow.

He shoved the drone's sword up and out of the way, then shot it point blank, sending it falling backwards.

 _"_ _Focus," Zarkon called from somewhere in the distance, and Lance pressed his back to Elolith's, the sound of battle raging around them. A Kuugane tore out of the water, their singular, enormous eye locking straight on the two of them. Elolith yelled in surprise._

A drone raced towards him; Lance shot it, already sweating. Two more dropped from the ceiling – these had guns instead of swords. Gunfire followed them.

 _Lance dropped to the ground, pulling the Green Paladin with him and covering her with his body. Three spikes embedded themselves in the ground nearby, orange tips buried into the sand. The Kuugane disappeared back into the water, the beast able to change its color to match the murky grey._

 _"_ _Shields," Elolith gasped, her ears twisting to the right. They brought them up just as a spiked tentacle slammed into them._

Lance yelped as a bullet hit him, transforming into a red circle that latched onto his ankle and stayed there.

"Quiznak," he muttered, dodging a few more shots.

" _Score for the drones!"_ cried Coran, as if he was some sort of sports announcer. " _Alright, Lance, I'm going to test some other functions. This one will change the room itself, so you can get some cover while we're at it!_ "

The room shuddered; silvery blocks rose up from the floor at varying heights.

 _"_ _What's happening?" Lance yelled as the ground shook._

 _"_ _It's not safe," Elolith warned, crouching as she watched the waters for any sign of an attack. "This land we're standing on – I don't think it'll last."_

 _Lance knocked their shoulders together. "Should be no problem for me, right?"_

 _Elolith snorted, but there was a smile on her face now. "Yeah, for_ you, _water-breather. Not for the rest of us."_

He took cover behind one of the blocks, panting.

 _Focus._

He crept behind the blocks, the stakes rising with every step. The drones could be anywhere, just as hidden as he was.

There was a whirring sound distantly from his left. He glanced at the open space between the blocks and risked it, running forward and sliding until he was safe.

Footsteps sounded, getting louder and louder, and Lance waited patiently, rifle at the ready. He counted under his breath and then leapt up, catching the drone as it walked past.

" _Good one, Lance,_ " Coran commended. Lance glanced at the viewing windows; now, the man seemed more interested in watching him as opposed to testing the training deck.

A different sort of test, maybe, to see Lance's skill set.

 _Elolith suddenly raised her shield, grabbing his arm and blocking the spikes that had come from nowhere._

 _"_ _Think it's time, water-breather," she said. Lance looked out towards the water, feeling the waves call him._

 _"_ _Cover me?"_

 _Elolith raised her gun, grinning. "Always."_

Lance eyed the blocks then began to climb, one hand holding his gun and the other used to help stay balanced. He fit his fingers in what little crevices he could find and climbed upwards, getting higher and higher.

It made him an easier target, but it also gave Lance the upper hand. He pressed himself closer to the side of the block and kept going until he reached the top.

From here, Lance could see the drones clear as day. He picked them off one by one until he was forced to drop back to the ground, spotted by a few that had long-range weapons.

 _The water was cold but inviting. Lance drew strength from it, from his mother's blood, and dove deeper. The ocean sang to him, alive, and despite the situation, Lance smiled. The Kuugane weren't the only creatures that thrived underwater._

 _He could see the Kuugane they'd been fighting, now a brilliant red that stood out in the dark. He swam towards it, gritting his teeth. Elolith would keep it distracted; with the one eye trained on her, he was free to take it down._

 _Lance_ _drew closer and closer, waiting for the moment to strike._

A drone approached him, sword up, and Lance ducked under the swing. He parried a few more blows with his gun, struggling to gain an opening.

 _There. Lance darted forward, weapon at the ready. A moment later, the Kuugane screeched as it thrashed in the water. Elolith grabbed his hand and hoisted him back onto dry land._

 _"_ _Nice one," she said, and Lance nodded._

 _"_ _We should go help the others," he said. Elolith murmured in agreement and led the way back towards more solid land compared to the rocky expanse they'd been fighting on. She turned to look at him, her eyes going wide._

 _The sound of sloshing water made him turn. A spiked tentacle raced towards him, and Lance froze, limbs locking up._

 _"_ _Lance!"_

The cry was echoed in both memory and real life. He yelled as his bayard was knocked out of his hand and scrambled backward, finding himself trapped in the maze of blocks.

Lance dodged the first swing, gasping when the second caught on his armor. He was sent sprawling to the floor from the force.

If he could reach his bayard…

He tried to move, lashing out with a foot and managing to kick the drone, though it didn't do much. A robotic hand wrapped around his wrist and sent him flying, back slamming against a block. His vision blurred for a moment.

The drone stood over him, sword in both hands.

" _End training session!_ " called Coran.

Lance sagged in relief against the block behind him. But the drone didn't stop; Lance cried out as the drone swung the sword towards his unprotected head.

 _"_ _End training session!_ "

Silence.

Lance sucked in air, chest heaving. The sword had stopped mere inches away from him. Beneath the drone, the floor opened, and it disappeared like it had never been there. The blocks began to sink, the tall shadows they'd been casting fading away.

"Well," he said, loud enough for Coran to hear. "I guess everything works fine."

" _A break, perhaps?_ " Coran suggested.

By the time Lance had mustered up the energy to get out of his armor and sink down against one of the walls, the others had found him. He waved tiredly as the door hissed open.

"Training deck?" Pidge asked, plopping down next to him. He pushed up his glasses.

"Yeah," Lance answered, still trying to catch his breath.

"Here," Coran said. He'd returned from wherever he'd gone off to, apparently to get water pouches. He passed one to Lance, who took it gratefully, sticking the straw in and drinking deeply.

Shiro was eyeing the training deck, gears turning in his head.

"We could do some group training," he said, and Lance groaned.

"I'm not moving," he complained. "Nope, not me."

Shiro smiled. "You look wiped out. It's late, anyway – I think we should all get some rest so we can focus tomorrow."

 _Zarkon wouldn't have let us rest_ , Lance thought. And he was right not to. The time could be spent working harder, getting better.

The threats didn't stop. The universe would never rest, and so the paladins didn't, either.

At the Garrison, it'd been the same. He'd worked double-time, trying to wrap his head around Earth and forever being pushed by every instructor he had.

"Rest…?"

Keith gave him a weird look. "You know, like sit down somewhere, take a nap, that kind of thing."

Lance rolled his eyes, already annoyed. "I know what rest is, thanks."

"Come on," Coran said, offering him a hand. Lance took it. "You can tell me if the showers are working."

Hunk snorted. "Why wouldn't the _showers_ be working?"

Thankfully, the showers _were_ in working order; Lance savored the hot water against his skin, scrubbing away sweat and grime.

When he stepped out, he felt a million times better. He'd let himself remember Voltron – his family. Thinking about Am'lei made his heart ache; thinking about Zarkon made it splinter, made it tear at the seams.

He looked at himself in the mirror and frowned at his reflection.

Lance had almost forgotten what he'd looked like.

He traced his fingers under his eyes and tried to recall the exact shade of blue his markings had been, tried to remember if they stretched over his chest or crept across his back. They'd started fading months ago, becoming duller until they were almost unnoticeable. The longer he'd spent in this form, the more human he became.

There was a knock on the door.

"Lance?"

That was Hunk. Had to be.

He let himself study his human form for another moment, hands dropping to the scars that littered his skin. Lines around his wrists, countless scars across his torso and back, and there – three lines across his throat and shoulder, one line a death sentence across his chest.

He swallowed back bile as someone else knocked.

"Hurry _up_ , pretty boy," a voice called through the door.

"Aaand that's Pidge," Lance muttered, turning his face and angling it so he could make sure his markings – or the faint blue shadows that were all that was left of them – were hidden.

"I'll have you know my skincare routine takes _time_ , alright?" he hollered at the door, throwing a shirt over his head. Lance frowned at the scars at his throat, the edges still visible above the shirt's neckline, and covered those with foundation, too.

"You know what else takes time?" Pidge yelled back, "Getting to the dining hall when you don't know where it is! Shiro said dinner was in five minutes – we're gonna be late."

Lance took a deep breath and swung open the door, strolling out nonchalantly.

"Um," he said, holding a finger up as he passed Pidge, " _fashionably_ late."

"I hate you," Pidge said.

Lance grinned, slinging an arm over the boy's shoulder, though the difference in height made it awkward.

"I know," he replied, "but look, how cute! You actually waited for me."

Hunk laughed. "We got lost, actually. But we found you, so."

"Excited to finally get some food?" Lance asked.

He was struck suddenly with the realization of how long of a day it'd been. Over the course of a day, he'd left his sort of new home on Earth, been chased by the Galra, found the princess and Coran, formed Voltron and beat Sendak, and had gone through a deadly training session that left his head spinning.

It was a lot, to say the least. Lance felt like he'd staying up the day before semester exams, studying with everything he had to move up from his place as a cargo pilot.

"Do you think they have space pasta?" Hunk asked.

"That sounds really good right now," said Pidge, "or what about peanut butter? Does peanut butter exist in space? What if aliens never got to eat peanut butter sandwiches?"

Peanut butter, as far as Lance knew, didn't exist in space. As Pidge would say, it was a fucking tragedy.

"I could go for some garlic knots," he added, mouth watering at the thought.

"Space pizza," Hunk said.

"Space _ramen_ ," Pidge countered.

They all groaned.

Dinner wasn't anywhere near what they'd been thinking of, not that Lance had expected it to be. The meal was strange; he'd only just gotten used to the Garrison dining hall and its loud chatter and semi-decent food.

The conversation flowed and ebbed. Allura told them about Voltron – no details, but she expected a lot more out of them than Lance was sure they could give. It was awkward, too, everyone scrambling to find something to talk about now that they'd been thrown into outer space a bajillion light years away from Earth.

Lance shoved another spoon of space goo in his mouth and swallowed hard. At the head of the table, Allura and Coran were speaking quietly, too far for Lance to hear.

The picture was all wrong.

It should've been King Alfor sitting there, laughing heartily at some joke Coran had just told him. Allura would be at his right, smiling. Lance filled in the empty seats with people who were long gone – his brothers and sisters of Voltron, close commanders and royal staff.

All of them – dead.

He excused himself and carried his almost-empty plate to the kitchens, washing the dish and then leaving.

Blue purred in greeting when he swung in searching for company.

"What did I do wrong, Blue?" he asked her, climbing onto her head when she lowered it for him. "How can I trust them– any of them?"

He thought of Elolith, killed. Uadsty, protecting the people until their last breath. Am'lei, his dearest Am'lei; he'd held her, impossibly small in his arms–

His family. His parents. Brothers. Sisters.

He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.

Lance had trusted him. Zarkon – his hero, his leader, his brother-in-arms – had been the one to kill them all. Zarkon had turned on them, and Lance had realized too late, caught in the dark surprise of Am'lei's death.

He hadn't been able to save any of them. Not his family, not his king; they were buried, now, in history.

Something tore out of his mouth, a sound of grief. Lance curled up against Blue, keening, calling for the souls who by now must have been reborn a thousand times.

Only the Lions answered him, Blue a healing balm to his grief. Through her he heard the others join him, five Lions calling to their lost paladins, voices crooning a broken song to the stars.

 _Hope,_ Blue sent into his mind. _Have hope, paladin._

Lance let his grief settle, still raw, let it seep out of him slowly. It was still there – Lance wasn't sure the aching would ever leave – but dulled now. He wiped at his wet face with his sleeve and rubbed at his eyes.

"Lance, buddy? You in here?"

He peeked over the side of Blue's maw and found Shiro looking up at Blue, awe coloring his face. It turned into surprise when Blue gently lowered him back to the ground.

Lance turned his face downwards, hoping the dim light would keep Shiro from seeing it.

"Alright?" Shiro asked. He didn't say anything about Lance's tears, didn't press, just put his hand on Lance's shoulder in a silent show of support. Warmth filled his chest.

"Yeah," he said, voice cracking.

 _Hope_ , sang Blue. Voltron was more than a team, Lance knew; they'd always been a family.

As Shiro led him out of the hangar, Lance considered the thought for a moment then tucked it away.

Families, he'd learned, would only fall apart.

* * *

 **Bam! Double update this weekend! After I finished chapter four, I started this and just couldn't stop writing. Originally, I was going to follow Some Assembly Required, but it didn't seem to quite click when I was writing, so I changed it up.**

 **Please leave a comment or an ask chasejackson on tumblr if you liked!**

 _achieving elysium_


	6. Chapter 6

**familiar**  
c _hapter six_

* * *

 _Beep._

There was a moment of quiet breathing before the recording began playing.

" _Mission log forty-two. This is the fourth quintant we've been on this planet,"_ Am'lei reported, _"and to be quite honest, it's boring. Zarkon keeps saying that we need to stay sharp and focused, but nothing's happened. I'm beginning to think the rebels are gone now, their hunger quelled."_

Lance closed his eyes, eyelashes brushing across the mask that covered them, and pretended she was next to him, speaking quietly into his ear.

 _"_ _I wish I were with the others. Zarkon may be my brother-in-arms, but he's always so uptight. And Elolith is gone, too, if I haven't mentioned that, to speak as a representative to the kings and make arrangements in case the rebels do attack. We have to be prepared. Honestly, I'm sick of it. I'm glad to be here, of course, to help…_

 _"_ _Lance, you would love it here. Uadsty, too. It's a shame the both of you went back to Aestus, though I get it – the unrest there needs to be settled, and you were never one to stray far from the sea—"_

There was a distant roaring in his ears. Lance blinked up at the ceiling, still lost in the haze of his memories.

Alarms, he realized. That was what the sound was.

" _Paladins, Zarkon is attacking! We need Voltron now!_ "

 _Paladin_ , Blue said.

"Am'lei…" he started, reaching across the bed. His fingers touched nothing but the bedsheets, and Lance recoiled. He shoved himself into a sitting position, tearing off his eye mask.

" _Hurry!"_ was called over the Castle's intercom, and Lance realized then that it wasn't Am'lei who had been speaking but Allura.

He leapt out of bed, almost slamming into the wall before he regained his footing and tore out of his room towards the center of the Castle.

There was a crackling noise before Coran took over.

" _Oh, no! They've cut off Allura's head! Wait – she's trying to speak to me… what is it, Allura's head?"_

The thought of Allura's severed head trying to speak to Coran combined with the now-knowledge that this was only a drill made Lance laugh harder than he probably should have. He had to pause in the hallway, burying his head in the crook of his arm so he could laugh.

 _"—_ _the view of the stars from here… I'd almost forgotten what they look like from planet-side. The Ionasians have this sacred spot where they go for ceremonies, and I think I can understand why they chose to go there. The Caria Mountains line up with the stars here… it looks like the peaks are glowing—"_

His laughter died a little then. He'd forgotten that he'd been listening to Am'lei's old mission logs.

Lance tugged down his headphones and let them settle around his neck. He pulled the little diamond-shaped recorder from his pocket and stopped the recording with a tap of his finger. Am'lei's voice disappeared, and he bit his lip.

He found he was the last to make it to the central deck; Allura was already waiting for him, arms crossed over her chest.

"You're late," she accused, voice cold, and Lance's fingers curled into a fist at his side. "Coran!"

"Yes, Princess. Ah, if only Voltron had been formed," Coran said dramatically before withering under the look she gave him. "And we're all here. Time!"

Shiro was frowning. "I'm guessing this wasn't real, then? We didn't actually need to form Voltron?"

"A good thing, too," Allura fumed. "It took too long for everyone to get here…?"

"Five quintants," Coran announced, and then frowned at the stopwatch. "Er, Princess, I know they took a long time, but I think this old thing is just a tad bit off."

"Forget it," she growled. "My point still stands. Five tecks or five quintants – it doesn't matter. The paladins of Voltron must always be prepared for battle. Look at you!"

Lance glanced around, taking in the others. He himself was nowhere near as ready as he should've been – dressed in a robe, still with slippers on… it was embarrassing, even if they _were_ Blue Lion slippers.

No one was really much better. Hunk and Pidge had obviously just rolled out of bed. Keith, at least, had his jacket on – a marginal improvement. Only Shiro was dressed in full armor.

Of course he was. Shiro was just the type of person; he'd probably been a Boy Scout, now that Lance thought about it. Somehow, the image of a younger Shiro in a uniform camping in the wilderness didn't seem too far off.

"Coran and I have been testing some of the Castle's defenses," Allura finally explained. "We thought it would be in our best interests to test you as well, but it appears that you aren't as ready as I believed you to be."

Lance winced. He hated to admit that Allura was right – he was better than this. He _should have been_ better than this.

"Well, excuse us," Hunk said indignantly.

"We just got here, like, yesterday," Pidge added. "On Monday, we were still on Earth going about our regular lives, you feel? Hunk made ramen at two in the morning. Lance snuck out like he always does. You're asking us to fight a war none of us signed up for!"

"And now it's what, Wednesday?" Lance asked. "Wednesday's are the worst."

"Honestly," Keith grumbled.

"It's a lot to process, Princess," Shiro said quietly.

"But you have to understand," said Allura, "that the stakes are higher than you realize. That Galran ship that attacked yesterday was only the beginning. Over 10,000 years, planets have been taken under Zarkon's hand. Enslaved. Conquered. Destroyed."

Lance felt sick as Allura waved her hand, pulling up a display of the nearest solar systems. Small circles were outlined in red – the circles were planets. It looked like someone had taken the night sky and dyed every star red.

Zarkon.

"These are distress signals received by the Castle during that time. Zarkon will not stop. He will not wait for you to get up, to form Voltron. And it won't be long before he sets his sights on Earth, either."

"No…"

"Do you understand?"

Lance bowed his head, and they spoke together. "Yes, Princess."

"We need Voltron to fight Zarkon, do you understand?"

"Yes, Princess."

"The Princess is right," Shiro said. "Get your armor on, and go to your Lions. We have some work to do."

Forming Voltron went just about as well as Lance had expected it to go. In short, it was a disaster.

It was only after they'd tried forming Voltron by stacking on top of each other – like a _cheerleader pyramid_ – that Allura decided to intervene. She appeared on the comms, smiling brightly.

 _"_ _I see you need a little encouragement,"_ she said, and Lance rolled his eyes. _"Coran and I've got just the thing! We need to run a few more tests. Since you were able to form Voltron in the heat of battle, well…"_

There was a shrieking sound. It was Lance's only warning before something hit the ground next to Blue, and he leapt to the side, swearing.

 _"_ _Is the Castle_ firing _at us? Allura, I didn't sign up for this!"_

 _"_ _Come on, everyone, stay together,"_ Shiro called, but it was too late. The five Lions scattered, the group breaking apart as laser fire rained down on them.

"Oh, _befir_ ," Lance hissed.

" _Regroup!"_

" _Regroup? Are you kidding?"_

 _"_ _More like run!"_

 _"_ _You can do it, paladins!"_ Allura cheered. _"Use fear to inspire you to form Voltron!"_

 _"_ _Voltron is the_ last _thing I'm thinking about_ ," someone grumbled.

Lance snorted – he couldn't help it. As if they were ever going to form Voltron like _this_.

 _Try,_ Blue urged, but they were too disorganized, too chaotic.

"I give up," Lance yelled, frustration bubbling up in him. This wasn't going to work. This wasn't his team.

 _Try,_ Blue growled, unrelenting, and Lance pushed back against her. His anger and frustration faded, though, and he found himself gliding next to Green.

"Pidge!" he yelled. "Come on!"

" _Left,"_ Pidge called back, and they veered to the left as laser fire peppered the ground where they'd been.

"Nice one," Lance said. "Where are the others?"

A quick survey of the field gave him all he needed to know. Shiro and Hunk had managed to sort of group together. Keith, of course, was alone, though he seemed to be doing well enough by himself.

" _The bridge,_ " Shiro ordered. _"Come on, everyone!"_

One by one, they made it to the bridge, and Blue turned to face the Castle, snarling.

" _Let's form Voltron."_

 _"_ _Yeah!"_

Lance closed his eyes, fighting past his frustration at the situation. There was a tentative touch against his mind; suddenly, he could feel Shiro there, then Pidge. Hunk. Keith.

For a moment, he believed it. They could form Voltron; they were going to form Voltron—

Someone cried out. Lance wasn't sure who had, but out of nowhere, the others were wrenched away from him. Lights flashed in Blue's cockpit, coloring his vision red.

" _The Castle shot at us!"_

 _"_ _Let's get out of here! I'm done!"_

 _"_ _Wait, guys!"_

Then, in front of Lance's eyes, the particle barrier faltered, then flickered out of existence. They'd all given up, just like that.

"Forget it," Lance growled, and Blue didn't argue this time, silent even as her presence surrounded him. "We're going back."

 _Lance,_ Blue murmured as he stormed from the cockpit and tore across the vast hangar, feeling like he was being swallowed by the empty space.

"Don't," he told her, spitting the word out like it was poison. "You and I both know _they_ wouldn't have given up."

The others weren't faring any better. He found them sprawled in the lounge, all of them spent. A moment later, Allura walked in, followed closely by Coran.

"You did it!" she cried, and Lance narrowed his eyes at her, wondering what she was going off about. "You formed Voltron."

Lance scoffed, sinking into the cushions and rolling his eyes at the ceiling. "Sure we did."

Allura frowned at him, not quite catching on. "That's wonderful. Why are you so… upset?"

"That was sarcasm, Princess," Keith said, his voice no less cutting than Lance's, something he was almost grateful for. "Guess it doesn't exist on Altea."

"What they mean is we didn't form Voltron," Pidge continued bluntly. Lance kicked his leg over the edge of the couch.

"What do you mean, you didn't form Voltron?"

"What don't you get," Lance groaned into a pillow. "We just. Didn't form Voltron."

"Up!" Allura snapped. "Get up, all of you!"

The door opened again, and Shiro walked in, a disapproving frown on his face. The sight of it made Lance feel guiltier than he wanted to be.

"This isn't time for a break," Shiro said. The two leaders looked at each other. "We need to keep training."

"Training?" Hunk asked. He looked like he was about to cry. "We did that. We've been doing that. When do we get to go back to Earth? Like, can I make up my homework if my excuse is I've been in space with a bunch of aliens? Can I call my family?"

"I'm not going back," Pidge announced, leaning forward and looking at them all intensely as if he was waiting for someone to argue against him. "Not until I find my family."

"There won't be an Earth if we can't fight Zarkon," Shiro said.

"How do we do that if we can't even form Voltron?" Lance muttered, still bitter.

"I'm not surprised, to be honest," Coran said, clapping his hands together. "The old paladins fought hundreds of battles together, side-by-side. They were like a family! Hmm, or maybe a pack of yalmors linked at the ears…"

"No, thanks," Pidge said. "I'd rather not. Be attached to these guys by the ears, I mean."

"Why don't we try a different approach?" Coran suggested. "The training deck?"

Lance gritted his teeth together as the paladins fell into formation, focusing on his bayard. To his relief, it expanded into his gun. It was strange, wielding it, but it was getting easier. He'd have to practice more.

" _The Paladin's Code…"_

 _"…_ _says you must protect your team members at any cost." Zarkon looked over them, his face stony and unrelenting. "From this point forth, your team members' lives are more important than yours."_

 _Lance glanced to his left and found Am'lei already looking at him. Their eyes met for a moment, and there was an unusual solemnity in hers. Lance swallowed, turning so he could see his fellow paladins._

 _He couldn't ask that of them. To put his life before their own…_

"Shields up," Shiro ordered, and around him, the other paladins raised their arms. The shields that were a part of their armor extended, blue and glowing.

Lance focused on his. A second later, his own shield formed.

" _Protect your teammate, or no one will be there to protect you!"_

They cried out collectively when the session began, the walls opening up to shoot at them.

Hunk was the first to go.

Lance blocked another few shots and took a step backward. _Protect your teammates. Protect your teammates. Protect. Protect. Protect._

 _Protect._

A shot took Pidge out, and Lance groaned through his teeth. He needed to be better, needed to keep the others safe.

He pressed his back to Keith—

— _pressed his back against Am'lei's._

 _"_ _I've got you," he told her as their shoulders brushed._

 _"_ _Anam," she replied._

 _"_ _Anam," Lance echoed, raising his shield higher._

He blocked a bolt that had been heading straight for Keith's head and lowered his shield a bit, panting. The moment's weakness was enough. A shot rammed into his shoulder, and the floor opened up beneath him.

"Well," said Coran, "you tried. Perhaps we should work on individual skills and slowly bring you together as a team…"

Coran led them outside in their Lions. Lance and Blue leapt into the air joyously, dancing through the clouds above them.

" _Now, another important aspect of Voltron is your bond with your Lion,"_ Coran explained. _"You must have a strong bond with your Lion."_

"Easy," Lance said.

" _Then this exercise should be no problem. Everyone put your Lions into a nosedive."_

Lance knew what Coran was going to do even before he did it. As the others cried out in surprise, he only smiled.

 _Ad unom_ , Blue urged, and in response, Lance opened his mind to hers.

" _This is really an expert-level drill for paladins with years of training,"_ Coran said, _"but, ah, you've got… a couple of quintants behind you? Well."_

 _"_ _Coran, what's going on? Coran!"_

 _"_ _I can't see… why did you think this was a good idea?"_

Their voices were already fading. Lance closed his eyes and searched for the thread of light in him, touched it and let it go. He tightened his hands around the controls.

Quintessence, pure and bright, flowed through him.

He twined his with Blue's, let their beings merge together until Lance no longer existed, until they were not Lance and Blue but LanceandBlue.

Far beneath them, the ground waited.

They fell together, flesh and metal, blood and wire.

 _Sisters,_ they called. _Brother._

 _"_ _I'm scared,_ " Hunk said.

 _"_ _How are we supposed to do this?"_

 _Trust,_ they answered, but the paladins didn't hear them.

 _"_ _You must learn to see through your Lion's eyes. The goal is to pull up right before you crash into the ground. Feel what the lion feels!"_

 _"_ _Are you guys still going?"_

 _"_ _We're probably getting close."_

The ground drew closer still, and they growled in warning. Black was the first to land; they laughed, proud.

 _"_ _Excellent work, Shiro."_

Closer. Closer. At the last moment, they drew themselves up, twisting themselves in the air to land, claws in the soft earth. Lance slipped from Blue's mind as easily as water would.

" _Lance, that was fantastic!"_ Shiro congratulated, and Lance ducked his head, face warm.

"Thanks, Shiro," he said.

" _Well, two out of five,"_ Coran called after the others crashed headfirst into the ground. Lance cringed.

"Last exercise of the day," he said once they'd gone back inside. "Mind meld."

Coran passed each of them a mind meld helmet and made them sit in a circle like they were a bunch of kindergarteners sharing secrets left and right.

"This exercise," Coran began, "is meant for you to connect. You _must_ open your minds to each other and focus on the bond between you."

He'd always hated this exercise.

 _Lance,_ Blue soothed.

"No walls, no secrets behind paladins."

Lance closed his eyes, focusing on nothing in particular. He thought about the sea first, imagined he was on the beach, digging his toes into the wet sand. Imagined the waves – the sound, the cold water, the taste of salt.

Imagined sinking under the water slowly, drifting, watching light dance on the ocean's surface.

 _Water-breather._ His neck prickled.

Someone was watching his memories.

The sea called him back, and he let the others in. Let them see his home, let them watch the fish swim in dizzying circles around his head, let them see the shell he found, cupping it in his hands as he rubbed it with fingers that—

Lance clapped his mind shut.

The thread that had formed between all of them snapped and splintered into five pieces.

"Come on," Coran encouraged. "Try again."

So Lance did. Memories were too dangerous, too revealing; he made new ones instead, crafting a different life for himself on the pale sands of Veradera Beach. Gave himself a family that would never exist, that had never existed.

The not-memory flickered, wavering under the weight of four other minds.

 _Celia,_ he chanted. _Her name is Celia, and she's eight. Then there's Iris, seventeen. Sisters._

 _Am—_

His concentration buckled. Pidge's did as well; he caught a fleeting memory of a girl and a boy standing together. Something about Pidge's memories carried the same desperation that Lance held close to his heart, the same frantic fear, the same mystery.

" _Lance,"_ Keith said.

"Pidge!" Hunk cried at the same time.

Pidge tore off his helmet and tossed it on the ground, upset. "I'm done with this!"

"Pidge," Shiro said pleadingly.

"What happened, you two?" Keith asked.

Lance's helmet joined Pidge's on the floor.

"It doesn't matter," Lance said. "We're not going to form Voltron, and you know it."

Before he could leave, Coran entered, carrying water pouches.

"Let's take a break, shall we? You've all been working hard."

Lance took the water pouch and curled up in a spot away from the others, pulling his knees up to his chest. Something fell out of his pocket then; Lance scooped up Am'lei's recorder and rolled it between his fingers.

The diamond-shaped object glowed softly, pulsing under his touch. He made no move to activate it, though, instead keeping it in the palm of his hand.

He closed his hand around it, the edges digging into his skin. Lance covered his face with his hands, shaking.

"You would be so disappointed in me," he murmured, and the thought hurt more than any memory ever could.

The recorder only hummed in reply, light peeking through the gaps between his fingers. He tucked it back into his pocket, eyes prickling with tears.

 _You would be so disappointed in me._

* * *

 **Update! So I didn't link this on ffnet, but I streamed this entire day with a group of absolutely lovely people. It was a ton of fun, haha. I think I'm definitely going to do more in the future, so if y'all wanna pop over on Picarto and find me under the same name, I'm there! (Maybe I'll do one tomorrow when I work on chapter seven.)**

 **Thanks for reading! Y'all are the best**

 _achieving elysium_


	7. Chapter 7

**familiar** _  
chapter seven_

* * *

"The gladiator," Allura said, pacing in front of the line they'd scrambled to form when she'd walked in. She met their gazes with her own cool one before stopping.

"A warrior who is ruthless in the arena," she continued, clasping her hands behind her back, "and who will show no mercy to you or to your teammates."

"To defeat it, you five have to work as one," Coran said, clenching his fist in the air. "Good luck!"

Coran and Allura left the training deck, leaving the team to watch them go.

A flash of silver and gold was the only sign that the gladiator had entered. It made no sound when it landed on its feet, brandishing its sword.

He'd never liked the gladiators. They were so perfectly cold, crafted by Altea's best engineers and scientists. Their only purpose was to fight, something that made Lance's blood run cold.

Fast. Intelligent. Armed. A combination of the three most deadly aspects something could have into one being.

Lance settled his weight evenly on the balls of his feet. To beat it, they had to be faster, smarter, had to work together – just like an enemy on the field.

 _This is your team now,_ he told himself.

Lance fired in the direction of the gladiator, but his aim was sloppy and the gladiator too fast. It dodged every shot and slid under Lance's guard, slamming into his chest with a forceful hand. He flew backwards, groaning.

Less than a heartbeat later, Hunk was thrown back next to him. Lance had already sprung up and had begun to fire at the gladiator, but still it evaded him.

"Pidge, watch out!"

Pidge yelled, his grappling hook wrapping around the gladiator's arm. It flung him aside, tossing him across the floor and turning to block a swing from Keith's sword.

Lance gritted his teeth, trying to get a good shot, but the gladiator was too close. He didn't trust himself enough not to hit Keith or Shiro if he fired, so he held, helpless.

Standing with a perfect view of the fight, Lance saw the moment when Shiro faltered. He stumbled backward a step, glowing arm lowering ever so slightly.

"Shiro!" Keith yelled, diving in front of him and using his sword to block the gladiator's. "Shiro, are you okay?"

Before Shiro could reply, the gladiator took them out as well, disarming Keith and shoving Shiro to the ground.

"Come _on_ , paladins!"

Pidge groaned miserably. "That wasn't even five minutes!"

"That was a combat simulator fit for an Altean _child_ ," Allura said sharply, "and you didn't even work as a team!"

"Why don't we get some food?" Coran suggested mildly, putting a hand on Allura's shoulder. "I think we could all use a nice paladin's lunch!"

"You know I hate that stuff," Allura said, her voice softening into something that was less cutting at the edges.

"Insulting my cooking now, are we?" Coran shot back as they walked away. Lance scrambled to follow, the thought of a meal making his mouth water, even if he knew he wasn't going to enjoy it much. Coran's cooking was, well, less than stellar.

"Cooking," said Allura. "Right."

"I think this'll help," Coran said as they all stumbled to their seats, tired. "Can't go wrong with a little bit of food goo!"

Lance made a face at the stuff. Next to him, Hunk and Keith were doing the same.

"Well, food goo has the word food in it," Hunk muttered. "So it can't be the worst thing out there."

Lance grabbed his spoon, about to dig in, when there was a sudden clicking sound. It fell from his hand and clattered on the tabletop. Lance stared at the cuffs around his wrists with wide eyes and slowly turned to look at Keith, chained to him.

"We're cuffed," said Keith, "to each other."

Lance groaned in reply.

Coran clapped his hands together as Allura settled across from them, her hands free so she could eat. She only raised an eyebrow, chewing and sending them a triumphant smile.

Lance wanted to wipe it off her face.

"The last bonding exercise of the day," Coran said. "You all did… well enough today. There were a lot of solid individual performances – good, but Voltron is not about the individual. So here's your choice, paladins: work together, or don't eat."

Lance ground his teeth together as he was pulled to the left.

"Coran," Hunk said dangerously, "you better think about what you're doing."

"Oh, I have," he replied cheerily, settling in the chair next to Allura's and taking a bite from his own food goo. "You get to feed each other like a pack of yalmors!"

"You know what," said Pidge. " _Fuck_ yalmors."

"Language," Shiro said, but he didn't exactly look happy himself.

Keith's elbow slammed into his bowl, and Lance yelled, pushing back. Hunk tried to eat, but he was pulled along by Shiro. Pidge had already started arguing with Keith, the two of them squabbling over a bowl of food goo.

By the third time his hand had been shoved into a pile of food goo, Lance had had enough. He glanced up at Allura and Coran and did the only thing he could think.

"Let me for a second," he told Keith, and the other paladin must have heard something in his voice, letting him take control. He scooped up a heaping spoonful of food goo, took aim, and let loose.

It hit exactly where he'd planned.

There was a beat of stunned silence as Allura stared back at him, food goo dripping down her face.

"You…," said Coran. "Apologize to the princess."

"The princess of what?" cried Pidge, knocking his bowl of food goo over. He sent food goo flying.

"Yeah, and who gave you the right to order us around like… like…" Keith started.

"Like a bunch of toy prisoners!" Lance finished for him.

"Yeah!"

"You're no princess," said Pidge. "We're _your_ last hope, _Allura_ , so maybe the one who should show some respect is you!"

"Just give us a break," Shiro said. "We've been working really hard, alright?"

He was interrupted when Allura retaliated, flinging food goo in Pidge's face. The boy sputtered, lifting a hand so he could wipe food goo off his glasses.

"Fight me," said Pidge.

"You're on," Allura replied.

Lance narrowed his eyes and exchanged a glance with Keith, who was already grinning.

"Fire in the hole!" Hunk yelled, using his mouth to spew food goo over Allura and Coran.

"Get 'em!" Keith cried, and he and Lance managed to fling an entire bowl across the table.

In a matter of minutes, it had become a full-out food fight. Lance felt like a kid again, surrounded by his siblings on the rare occasion when they could work together.

It was when Lance ran out of ammunition that the adrenaline began to settle. The others seemed to come back to themselves, too; they looked at each other, at Allura and Coran covered in food goo, and promptly burst into laughter.

"Enough!" Allura cried, slamming her hands onto the table's surface. He sobered immediately, wondering what punishment she would give them, when she lifted her head to reveal a smile. "Do you see what you're doing? You're working together!"

"Oh, shit," Pidge said wondrously, "we are."

Shiro didn't even scold Pidge for his language, just grinned at them all.

"Let's go form Voltron," he said, and Lance smiled despite himself.

"Or we could eat," Hunk suggested as the cuffs fell from their wrists. Lance massaged them then rolled his wrists a few times.

"Or not," said Hunk when they all headed to their hangars.

 _Back?_ Blue asked, amused when he passed a hand over her snout. He pressed his face to the cool metal and nodded.

"I think it's time to try again."

" _Ready?"_ Shiro asked, and there was a chorus of agreement. Lance pressed his lips together, hesitating for a moment, and then joined in.

There – a leg, arms, the head. Voltron fit together like the pieces of a puzzle Lance had been searching for, stumbling around blindly in a room without the light on.

He would keep his secrets locked in his chest, his heart the key. His story he would hide away. There would be time for those later.

For now, there was just— Voltron. It was enough, had to be enough for him.

Almost an hour later, after everyone had retired, Lance crept through the quiet halls of the Castle. He pressed himself close to the walls and kept to the shadows. No one saw when Lance got into the elevator and went to the holodeck.

It was a strange place, the holodeck. He hadn't come here in a long time, hadn't stepped a foot in this place since coming to Arus.

He walked slowly to the center and found the five mice curled up together. They blinked up at him when he approached, and Lance smiled.

"Hey, guys," he said, and they waved. "What are you doing here?"

It wasn't like he could understand their squeaks, but Lance nodded along anywhere. He pressed a hand to the machine in the center, feeling it warm up under his touch.

Light shimmered, and suddenly King Alfor was there, as regal as he'd ever been. He looked just like Lance remembered him, dressed in the royal suit of armor with a deep blue cloak pinned about his neck.

Lance took a step backward.

For a second, the king only observed him, cocking his head to the side and smiling.

He knew.

Lance let the pretenses fall away and bowed at the waist.

"Hello, Your Majesty," he said.

King Alfor nodded in greeting. "Hello, Talin."

He gestured with a hand, and Lance caught his breath as a scene unfolded around him. Lush green fields rolled into view; in it were clusters of bright pink flowers in bloom. He could almost smell them, summer sweet, could almost imagine he was back on Altea.

"Incredible, isn't it?" he asked. "What power memories can hold."

Lance just nodded.

"I was just speaking to Allura," King Alfor continued. "My daughter carries a heavy burden on her shoulders."

Lance looked at his hands. "Yeah."

"But so do you."

The mice chittered at his feet, and Lance scooped them up into his arms.

"She doesn't know, does she?" he asked, turning to look at King Alfor. "I mean…"

"No," came the answer. "You won't tell her?"

He looked away, not wanting to see the king's face as he said, "I can't."

Lance jerked his head up.

"You can't tell her," he said frantically, eyes darting between both King Alfor and the mice in his hands. "None of you."

"I will not," King Alfor said, and the mice nodded solemnly. "Talin— Lance, I suppose you would prefer… tell me a story, Lance."

"A story?"

"Storyteller was one of your many names, was it not? It was not unusual to find you in the center of a ring of young children begging for a tale of your adventures. I want to know what history has forgotten."

 _What history has forgotten…_

Lance hesitated.

"Once upon a time," he began, "a very, very long time ago… there was a boy who loved his home with everything he had."

And so he spoke; once the words came, they didn't stop. He couldn't seem to help it. Maybe it was because he knew that this was his story to tell, that no one would ever tell it for him. Maybe it was because there was no one else who could listen.

He didn't say everything. There were parts that Lance tucked away for himself, the deepest, darkest lines of a story he didn't want to share with anyone.

"I miss it," he admitted sometime near the end of his tale. "Home, I mean."

"There was so much," the king agreed mournfully, "but there is little use in dwelling on what-ifs and could-have-beens."

"I don't think I can trust them," said Lance. "I…"

He suddenly remembered whom he was talking to and rocketed to his feet, twisting his hands together.

"I should go," he said, bowing his head. "I'm sorry."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry, too."

Lance just nodded, turning to leave.

"Talin," King Alfor called after him. "Lance."

He paused at the elevator even as the doors opened before him, then turned back to bow to the lone figure remaining in the room, more of a ghost than a memory.

The king gave him a smile.

"She would be proud of you, Lance," he said.

Before he could reply, alarms rang throughout the Castle. Lance swore. Luckily enough, he was still dressed in full armor, his bayard at his side.

" _Paladins to the bridge,"_ Allura ordered over the intercom. _"I repeat, all paladins report to the bridge. We have visitors."_

Visitors. Lance focused on his bayard, and it grew into the rifle he was beginning to get used to.

He glanced back at King Alfor, the memory already fading as if he had never been there in the first place.

"She wouldn't," he said lowly, meeting King Alfor's eyes once before ducking into the elevator, the doors closing before anything else could be said.

When the elevator stopped again, Lance had managed to regain his composure enough so that no one would question him. He raced out towards the courtyard, where he saw the others already gathered.

"It's a local Arusian," Coran said when he saw him coming, "though the poor fella ran off and hid the moment we stepped outside."

"He's armed," Keith said, his bayard extending even as Lance released his.

"Keith," Allura said warningly. "We're not only fighters but diplomats as well. Our mission is not to disrupt peace but keep it."

"He's so little," said Hunk. "I bet he couldn't hurt a fly."

Pidge elbowed him in the ribs. "Dude, that's what you said about me."

Hunk made a face. "Never mind, then. I take it back."

"I hate mosquitos," Pidge muttered. "If I could kill all of them-"

Allura cleared her throat pointedly and sent them all a harsh look.

"Welcome, friend," she said to a seemingly random spot in the bushes, none of the venom in her gaze carrying over to her voice. "No harm will come to you. Please, kind sir, we only wish to speak to you."

Finally, an Arusian appeared. He was terribly small, coming up only to Lance's thigh. Though he brandished his blade at them, Lance could only think about how _adorable_ he was.

"Can you imagine being stabbed by that?" Hunk whispered loudly. "That's like, a giant toothpick."

Pidge elbowed him again, and Hunk grunted.

"Do you want to find out?"

"Not really," came Hunk's reply.

Pidge crossed his arms and huffed, but he made no move to stab Hunk. Lance was only mildly guilty about wondering what would've happened if he had.

"I am Klaizap," the Arusian announced. "Bravest of our warriors. Our village is over Gazrel Hill. I have come to seek answers as to why the Lion Goddess is angered with her followers."

"The Lion Goddess?"

"Followers?"

"What, Klaizap can't be the only Arusian around."

"The one the ancients spoke of," Klaizap explained, pointing to a nearby rock. On closer inspection, Lance could see a carving on the flat surface.

"Is that… Allura?"

"No way," Lance said, leaning in, but now that he saw it, the carving _did_ look like the Lion Goddess.

"What makes you think she's angered?" Allura asked.

"Destruction," Klaizap cried. "For the past few suns, fire has rained down from the skies. A giant has been seen, a warrior like none we have ever encountered."

"Um, is it just me, or is he talking about Voltron?"

"Definitely talking about Voltron."

"Okay. Yeah. Um."

Allura threw them another dirty look. "You have not angered the Lion Goddess."

Klaizap narrowed his eyes. "How can you be sure?"

Allura drew herself to her full height, which must've been impressive to the Arusians, though she was still shorter than Lance.

"Because I am Princess Allura," she said, "and this is my Castle."

No one seemed to have caught her waver when she'd said the word _my_ , like she didn't quite believe she was fully in control.

Princess, Lance realized. She'd never once called herself Queen.

"The Lion Goddess," Klaizap cried, scrambling over himself and bowing hastily.

"Please, bravest warrior," said Allura. "Take us to your village."

"Wait, what about our mission? To defeat Zarkon?" Keith interrupted.

"What about the prisoners?" Pidge asked, then drew into himself like he expected someone to scold him for it.

"Keith," Allura addressed first. "This planet has been my home for the past ten thousand years – at the very least, these people deserve my thanks. And Pidge… why don't you and Shiro go check on the prisoners while we go to the village?"

Shiro put a hand on Pidge's shoulder but looked uneasy at leaving them.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't know…"

Allura caught Shiro's eye and nodded, smiling warmly. "We'll be fine, Shiro, don't worry. Keep your helmets on, though – that way, if we need to contact each other, we are able to."

"Come, Lion Goddess and her mighty warriors," Klaizap said. "We will welcome you gladly."

* * *

 **Yeah? Yeah? All aboard the langst train! We leave at first light. (Leave a review if you liked it if you like!)**

 _achieving elysium_


	8. Chapter 8

**familiar**  
chapter eight

* * *

If Lance was being honest, he wasn't sure if he preferred the Dance of Apology or the sacrificial fire.

The Dance of Apology was funny. The sacrificial fire was almost even more so, when Lance compared the thought next to Garrison juniors during exam week. It seemed like something they'd do – maybe sacrifice the freshmen, if they could get away with it.

Moontow, who'd just finished dancing, turned to bow deeply to Allura. The princess didn't look particularly impressed – in fact, she looked like she was struggling to keep a straight face.

"Oh, my," she said, and Lance turned to Hunk, who was the closest to him, and buried his face in his friend's shoulder to muffle his laughter.

"Are you okay?" squeaked a nearby Arusian, and Lance made a strangled noise.

"Yeah," Hunk said, but his giggle betrayed him. "Um… we're, ha, we're fine, thanks."

"Please rise," said Allura, like she knew that if the Arusians didn't, they'd all burst into laughter and never stop. Even Keith – _Keith_ – was stifling a laugh of his own behind one of his gloved hands.

"Er, thank you for that," she continued, "but there was truly no need! I may be a princess, but I am no goddess. In fact, it is you who deserves _my_ apologies – I have put you all in danger.

"I am Princess Allura, and these are the– my paladins. Though Arus may not be my home, and we seem to be, ah, from very different cultures, I hope that you will let us live together as friends."

Aside from her slight slip-up, Allura _really_ knew how to speak. The Arusian king smiled brightly before faltering.

"What of the mighty robotic angel? Was it not sent by you to punish us for our wrongdoings, whatever they may be?"

"Are they blind," Keith muttered to himself, but Lance heard him and kicked at Keith's ankles. "We pilot _Lions._ Giant robot lions."

 _Shut up_ , he mouthed.

Keith flipped him off so casually that Lance almost missed it. _You shut up._

"I didn't even say anything," Lance hissed.

"Um, bro," said Hunk. "You just did."

Keith just rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to Allura.

"Voltron?" she asked. "Voltron isn't here to punish you! We're protectors of the universe. The robot you speak of is here to protect you."

The Arusians looked at each other, stunned, then cheered as one, racing forward to wrap their arms around the paladins.

Lance was immediately bombarded by several Arusians, piling over each other so they could cling to his leg. He laughed, stumbling back a few steps.

Keith didn't look nearly as excited. Then again, this was the guy who slept with a knife under his pillow and who couldn't be a part of social situations even if his life depended on it.

"C'mon, man," he called. "Is the great Keith Kogane afraid of _hugs?"_

He knew he'd caught Keith when the Red Paladin glared at him, snapping back a quick retort before he was cut off by an Arusian clinging to him.

"Oh," said Keith, a look in his eyes like he wasn't sure what to do next. "I don't really do hugs, but you guys are… um, cuddly."

Lance laughed. When Keith looked at him, a little lost but a little happy, too, Lance just sent him a thumbs up and a smile.

There was a soft buzzing in his ears – the comms, Lance realized. A second later, Pidge was speaking.

 _"_ _Um, anyone here?"_

"Yeah," said Lance and Hunk at the same time before grinning.

"Is something wrong, Pidge?" Keith asked, his expression changing from a soft sort of wonder to a sharp seriousness. "Shiro?"

 _"_ _Everything's fine,"_ Shiro said, and Keith visibly relaxed a little.

"Excuse me," Allura told the Arusian king, walking over to where the paladins had gathered. The Arusians seemed to have sensed something had changed and moved off of Lance, though he missed the warmth from the hugs immediately.

"What is it?" she asked.

 _"_ _We just wanted to tell you–"_ started Pidge.

 _"–_ _that we're heading out of the Castle,"_ Shiro finished for him. _"A few of the prisoners are out, they're doing great, and, uh, Coran said he would watch over them."_

 _"_ _There's a crashed Galran ship,"_ Pidge said eagerly, but Lance could hear underlying tension in his voice. _"We're going to check it out, look for information, that kinda stuff. Um. Unless you, like… you know, order us not to. But uh, I'd probably still go anyway, so."_

 _"_ _We just wanted to let you know, Princess,"_ Shiro covered smoothly.

Allura frowned, but she didn't disagree.

"Very well," she replied, exchanging a look with the rest of the team. "But be careful. Keep your weapons out and your armor on – and take one of the pods out there if it's far."

 _"'_ _Kay,"_ Pidge said on the other end, relief plain in his voice.

 _"_ _Thank_ _you, Princess,"_ Shiro said a little more eloquently. _"We'll keep the comms on, of course."_

"Don't hesitate to contact us if there is any trouble," Allura said. "Though I am sure you are both capable of handling anything that comes your way."

 _"_ _Yes, Princess."_

"Should we head back to the Castle, then?" Keith asked after the conversation was over. He fidgeted, looking to Lance like he was ready to go.

Allura frowned.

"It is a good idea," she began, "but I don't want to leave the Arusians, not now."

"I can stay," Hunk offered, and Lance blinked in surprise. "Like, I'll be here with you and the Arusians, and then Lance and Keith can head back to the Castle just in case the others need some help."

"Yeah, that works," said Lance slowly, though he would've preferred to go back with Hunk instead of Keith.

"I guess," Keith agreed, looking just as reluctant.

"Stay alert," Allura told them both. "If you see anything, report immediately."

The comms came back to life just as Lance and Keith reached the bridge.

 _"_ _We're in the ship now, guys. This looks like the master control board for it, but there's no power source?"_

 _"_ _Power source?"_ Allura asked. _"Is power all you need?"_

There was a shuffling sound, like Pidge was poking around on the ship.

" _Yeah,"_ he confirmed after a few beats of silence.

 _"_ _Well, we do have some Balmeran crystals – smaller pieces, meant for projects and experiments and such in the Castle's stores. Those will work with just about anything."_

 _"_ _Mm,"_ said Pidge, obviously thinking.

 _"_ _What about the pod? Can we hook it up to the system and use it to get this running?"_

 _"_ _Like jumping cars? Lemme see…"_ Pidge replied. _"No, it has to be Galra tech."_

 _"_ _Galra tech, huh?"_ Shiro asked. _"Think I've got that covered."_

 _"_ _Woah,"_ said Pidge a moment later, voice full of awe. _"Okay, Princess, we're good to go. I'm going to download all the information off this ship and bring it back to the Castle."_

 _"_ _Great, Pidge, thank you."_

"Boring," sang Lance. "Thought there was going to be a drone or something, waiting to get you."

Either no one had heard him or they were ignoring him. Lance shrugged it off.

"Hey," Keith called, eyes bright with challenge. "Race you back to the Castle?"

"Eat my dirt," said Lance, already running.

"Hey!" Keith called after him. "Not fair, Lance!"

"You're the one who challenged me!" he yelled over his shoulder, laughter bubbling up in his stomach.

They raced back to the Castle; Lance's long legs made it easy for him, but Keith was fast, too. In the end, they sprinted through the entrance at the same time, skidding to a stop in front of Coran.

"I won," Lance panted, hunching over as he tried to even out his breathing.

"No," Keith argued. "I did."

They both looked at Coran, who only held up his hands and shook his head.

"Oh, come on, Coran," Lance wheedled. "I won."

"Um, I crossed that door before you did, cheater."

Lance mock-gasped, putting a hand over his heart, still beating wildly.

"I am _not_ a cheater," he said, reveling in the clear amusement on both Coran _and_ Keith's faces. "Honestly, I am a pure, honest person–"

"Uh huh," interrupted Keith. "And you got a head start!"

A loud beeping noise broke their argument. Lance and Keith turned towards the monitors, glancing at each other and then at Coran.

"What is it?" asked Lance.

"I don't know," answered Coran, stroking his mustache before stepping forward and typing in a few commands. "The Castle's locked on an approaching object, though it can't seem to be identified–"

"UFO?" Keith murmured, like his dreams were coming true. Lance gave him a weird look.

"Keith, buddy, we've met, like, a billion aliens," he said. "You already know they exist, Mr. Conspiracy Theorist."

"Oh, shut up, will you?"

 _"_ _Boys,"_ Coran interrupted, face pinched in concern. "I can't seem to get a good read on it, but it seems to be heading in that direction over there…"

He pointed towards a spot on Arus; the feed focused there, and Lance spotted a dark splotch on the monitor. It was angular, sharp edges facing the sky, and painted a deep purple. Next to it was a pure white pod—

"—from the Castle," he finished out loud. "That's Shiro and Pidge!"

Keith swore.

"Shiro, Shiro, come in! Pidge, are you there?"

 _"_ _Keith? What's going on?"_ Shiro responded, probably hearing the strain in Keith's voice.

 _"_ _What's happening?"_ Allura asked at the same time.

Coran filled them in, his voice fading to the background as Lance took a closer look at the object approaching Arus. He squinted; the screen zoomed in as far as it would go, forming a small box around the object.

"–don't know what it is," Coran was saying, but Lance's stomach twisted uneasily. "Perhaps a meteor?"

"Coran," he said, grabbing the man's arm. "Coran, that's not a meteor. And it's not a ship, either. It's some sort of… it looks like… like a robotic beast or something."

It looked so familiar, though Lance knew he'd never seen this before in his life. The team training session they'd had together – and a faint memory of Haggar – suddenly came to mind, and it clicked.

"Gladiator," he said, and there was a murmur of confusion both around him and over the comms.

"It looks like a gladiator," Lance said, faster, trying to get the words out. "Shiro, Pidge, get out of there now!"

" _Keith, Lance, to your Lions! Hunk and I will follow!"_

 _"_ _No,"_ gasped Pidge. _"No, we can't leave– Shiro, stop, what are you doing?"_

 _"_ _Pidge, we have to go,"_ Shiro said, voice laced with urgency.

 _"_ _No!"_

Keith and Lance were already running for the hangars; he reached out with his mind and found Blue ready to go.

 _"_ _No, Shiro– ugh, let me go, Shiro… my father!"_

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Pidge,"_ Shiro said as Lance rounded the corner and leapt into Blue's open mouth. _"We need to go!"_

There was a distant _boom_ , and Lance and Blue paused as one as the ground rumbled beneath their feet. In no time, they were flying out, Red not far behind.

Though she didn't say anything, Blue sent him a soft memory: Haggar, hands glowing as she stood in front of a robotic figure, King Alfor watching from not far behind. He pushed it away, imagined taking the memory and shoving it into a box in the corner of his mind.

 _"_ _Shiro!"_ Keith shouted suddenly, and Lance's eyes locked on the two figures fleeing from the downed Galran ship.

 _"_ _Run!"_ Shiro cried.

"Cover them!" he shouted, and he and Keith swooped down to block the force of the blast. Blue shuddered but held strong, claws digging into the ground.

Pidge's gasp was short in his ear; Lance tapped the side of his helmet, hoping his friends were alright.

"Okay?" he asked.

 _"_ _Thanks to you two,"_ Shiro answered, and Blue ducked her head down so they could both see the paladins they were guarding. Pidge gave them a thumbs up when he saw.

 _"_ _Yeah,"_ said Pidge. _"You saved our butts. Thanks for that, guys."_

 _"_ _Uh, no problem,"_ Keith replied.

The ground shook again, but this time, it was from the impact of three other Lions landing. Lance gave a sigh of relief.

 _"_ _Um, guys?"_ Pidge said nervously, scrambling into Green. _"Guys!"_

Lance jerked his attention away from the Lions and turned, dread turning his stomach cold when he caught a glimpse of the Robeast. It was massive, easily the size of Voltron if not even bigger.

It didn't look like any beast he'd seen before; plated purple-and-silver armor covered every piece of it, and a dark red symbol on its left shoulder branded it as Galran.

Its right arm was… different, though. Where the hand should've been was instead a torch-like barrel – it looked like it was some kind of generator.

"What…" Lance began.

 _"_ _Guys, move!"_

Lance watched, frozen in place as energy gathered in the barrel in a crackling orb. It was only Blue's reaction that kept them from being hit.

"Sorry, beautiful," he said, snapping back into focus. She only grumbled in response.

Green leapt at the Robeast, but she was batted aside. The others cried out as the Lion slammed into the ground below, but she was up in a flash, snarling.

 _"_ _I'm fine!"_ Pidge reported.

" _Cover them!"_ Keith yelled, and Lance swiveled around to face the Robeast.

"On it!"

He and Blue raced forwards, firing at the Robeast. It reared back, eyes fixed on them. The orb buzzed again, and they raced upwards to avoid it as they fired back in retaliation.

 _"_ _What is that thing? Is it Galra?"_

Lance bit down on his lip hard, pain dancing across his mouth as he tried not to answer.

 _"_ _I think so,"_ Shiro said, filling in the gaps. _"But I've never seen anything like it…"_

 _"_ _What's the plan? Shoot at it with everything we've got?"_

 _"_ _There's only one way to win this,"_ Shiro said. " _We have to form Voltron."_

 _"_ _Got it,"_ they chorused.

 _"_ _Remember,"_ he continued. _"We are one unit, fighting together with one goal."_

They formed Voltron just in time to match the Robeast's next blow. It was surprisingly strong, though Lance wasn't sure why he'd expected any less.

There was that buzzing sound again, their only warning before the orb slammed into Voltron's side. They went toppling, but Lance and Hunk managed to get them back up. The double attack was jarring, though, and they weren't in sync, either.

"Guys," Lance groaned, but no one was listening.

 _"_ _Isn't Voltron supposed to be, like, the most powerful weapon in the universe?"_ he heard Keith yell.

 _"_ _Yeah, so why is it kicking our butt?"_

 _"_ _The orb – watch out!"_

While they were distracted, the Robeast sent them sailing through the air with a well-aimed punch. The team yelled as they slammed into the ground, and Lance grimaced when he saw the small huts of the Arusian village nearby.

 _"_ _We have to get out of here!"_ Shiro yelled. _"We can't put the Arusians in danger!"_

"Come on, let's lure it away," Lance called.

 _"_ _Good idea,"_ Shiro replied, leading them up into the air. He let out a cry of surprise as the orb rammed into them again.

 _"_ _Look out!"_

They managed to turn to the side, narrowly missing the Arusian village.

 _"_ _Don't worry, paladins,"_ Allura said, her voice clear as day in Lance's ear. _"I'm leading the Arusians to the Castle – we'll keep the defenses up and protect them. Focus on defeating that beast!"_

"Yes, Princess," they called.

At least, Lance figured, it was one less thing to worry about. Now, they could focus on the fight, though that wasn't really going well.

 _"_ _That was close,"_ Shiro sighed.

"Agreed," Lance said, just as relieved.

The feeling was short-lived, though. The Robeast roared, and Voltron responded, fighting back.

 _"_ _We need a new plan, guys. We can't dodge forever!"_

"Yeah, but it looks like that's what we'll be doing," he groaned. "What do we do?"

 _"…_ _I don't know,"_ Shiro said finally.

 _"_ _Well, we've gotta do something!"_ Keith called.

"I got it," Lance said. "I'm gonna power-kick that orb!"

It wasn't the best plan, but it was the only thing Lance could think of. He and Blue had done it before; if all went accordingly, the hit would be powerful – maybe even enough to buy them a few seconds or a minute.

 _"_ _Lance, no! The last time you did a kick, we fell!"_

"I can do this, Keith," he shot back. Blue growled warningly in his mind, then focused on the Robeast in front of them. This would work – he had to believe it, or it wouldn't happen.

Together, they ran towards the beast.

 _"_ _No,"_ Keith yelled again, and his anger trickled into Lance's mind for a moment.

He faltered, his kick going wide. Blue cried out as they missed, stumbling back a few steps.

"No," Lance gasped.

The Robeast used the moment to its advantage, hitting Voltron with the orb and making them spiral towards the ground. As they landed, skidding across the uneven surface, the Robeast charged at them again.

 _"_ _Pidge,"_ Shiro started, taking control of the situation. _"Fire lasers now."_

 _"_ _On it,"_ Pidge responded. _"Fire!"_

It wasn't the lasers that Pidge summoned, though, but a large shield.

 _"_ _Ahh… oops, uh,"_ he cried, trying to dispel it and get the lasers instead.

 _"_ _Lasers, Pidge!"_

The orb hit them, followed by a fist. Voltron reeled backwards but held, managing to stay together, though Lance wasn't sure.

 _"_ _Every time we focus on that orb, we're blindsided by the monster! And every time we focus on the monster, that orb gets us!"_

Hunk was right, even though Lance desperately wanted him to be wrong. They couldn't focus on both at once, and that was their downfall.

"Then what do we do?" he whispered. No one seemed to hear him.

 _"_ _Orb!"_

They were knocked back into a cliff, and Lance groaned at the impact. Rock crumbled around them.

 _"_ _We gotta move!"_

"Trying," Lance panted, but the battle was taking its toll. They had to win, needed to, but victory was nowhere in sight. He didn't know how they were going to defeat the Robeast, and from the looks of it, they weren't about to anytime soon.

They needed _more_ , needed to gain the upper hand somehow.

Voltron twisted to the side, avoiding another hit, and Lance sucked in a breath. It wasn't possible. They weren't even working together – sure, they'd formed Voltron, but Lance felt like they were still fighting individually.

"Come on," Lance bit out. _"Come on!"_

"We need to work together," he pleaded, but his words fell on deaf ears.

"Listen to me," he tried again.

His heartbeat thundered in his ears; Lance counted the seconds that passed, feeling his heart dropping lower and lower in his chest. No one was listening to him – no one _would_ listen to him, he realized, and that made his lungs tighten.

"Blue," he said instead.

 _We will win,_ Blue insisted. _Voltron will always prevail._

 _But will we?_ Lance thought back.

 _Yes._

"I don't know if I can believe that, Blue," he said. "I'm sorry."

* * *

 **Fight me.**

 _achieving elysium_


	9. Chapter 9

**familiar**  
chapter nine

* * *

One second. Two. Three.

Lance gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his brow.

 _"_ _Hold–"_

Another second passed. Blue dug her claws into the ground, growling fiercely. Voltron held, all of them straining as they pushed back against the Robeast, caught in a contest of strength.

 _"–_ _hold…"_

A shudder ran through his body. Lance felt the moment when things went wrong. There was a sudden silence; he wasn't sure if it started with him or if it'd been someone else, but there was the feeling of disconnect—

 _"_ _Guys!"_

—followed by a moment of weightlessness.

Blue was screaming at the edge of his mind. Over the comms, the others shouted. In front of them, the Robeast geared up for another attack.

He didn't know what had just happened. Lance felt like he was floating in a dream, almost aware of what was going on but through a thick, fog-like haze.

When he reached for the others, searching for the team's presence in the back of his mind, he couldn't find them.

"Guys, what— what's happening? What's going on? _Guys?"_

For a horrible moment, no one answered him. Lance reached back towards that empty void, following the shaky bond that existed between the paladins.

They weren't there. They weren't there, because Voltron had split apart somehow. An echo of Blue's pain passed through their bond.

 _"_ _Scatter!"_ Pidge yelled, and scatter they did.

The Robeast's orb crashed into the ground nearby, the earth fracturing under the pressure. Lance licked his lips, glancing to the side so he could see where everyone else was. Like him, Hunk and Yellow were racing on the ground, but the others had taken flight.

 _"_ _We're no match against that thing!"_

He took a steadying breath. "It's gotta have a weakness _somewhere."_

 _"_ _Yeah, but where? If we don't defeat this thing soon, we won't get another chance."_

Lance eyed the Robeast; he and Blue retreated from the battle slightly. Watching. Waiting.

A part of him itched to go in regardless, guns blazing – fight first, think later. But he'd learned patience, had learned to keep his distance, like what Elolith had taught him with a rifle.

The orb swept through the air, humming as it fell back to its barrel. The Robeast swung it again. Lance watched it arc close to Hunk and hissed in response, tightening his hands around the controls as if it would help keep him from attempting to tear the Robeast apart.

 _"_ _Shiro, watch out!"_

Lance bit down on his lip so hard he swore he started bleeding. Black was hovering in the air, stagnant like a hanged man, the noose tight. The Robeast locked on its target and struck.

 _"_ _No,"_ Keith yelled.

Red slammed into Black; the orb cut through the empty air where the Lions had been. Lance's head pounded.

"You guys okay?"

 _"_ _Fine,"_ Keith panted. Shiro didn't answer.

 _"…_ _Myzax,"_ Shiro said suddenly, his voice hesitant and unsure. _"We called him the Galatic Gladiator."_

Lance frowned, his attention split between what Shiro was saying and the Robeast. There was a loud humming sound as the orb returned to its place – and paused there for a moment…

A weakness.

 _"_ _That sound,"_ continued Shiro. _"I– I know that sound."_

In the next moment, the Robeast continued its attack.

"The orb," Lance said. "That's its weakness!"

 _"_ _You're right,"_ Shiro said. Black swiveled in his direction, and Blue lifted up on her hind legs for a moment to signal where they were, hidden amongst some rocks.

 _"_ _There's a loud sound every time the orb returns to the base,"_ Shiro explained. _"Every third time, it needs to recharge before it can be used again. That's when we strike."_

 _"_ _Then there's only one thing left to do,"_ Keith said.

Yellow landed next to him, followed by Black, Red, and Green.

 _"_ _Come on, team,"_ Shiro said, and Lance could hear the faint smile in his voice. _"Let's form Voltron."_

Lance didn't know how they did it. But Shiro's everlasting faith was a lifeline that Lance clung to, a line that he followed hand over hand until he reached the end of it – where Voltron was waiting.

 _"_ _Pidge, we need that shield!"_ Shiro ordered the second they formed Voltron.

This time, Pidge was ready. A shield formed in Voltron's hand; Pidge brought his arm up as the orb rammed into it.

 _"_ _Good,"_ Shiro praised. _"That's one_."

Two to go, Lance thought.

Another hit. Lance felt this one in his bones, the impact shuddering through him. By the way they slid back several feet told Lance that he wasn't the only one struggling.

 _"_ _We can't take much more,"_ Keith warned.

 _"_ _I know,"_ Shiro said. _"Just one more. Brace yourselves, everyone."_

Lance dreaded the next moment, watching as the Robeast geared up for another blow. He leaned forward, gritting his teeth as the orb raced towards them for the third and final time.

As it struck, the team cried out as one but held.

 _"_ _Now!"_ Shiro commanded, and Keith fired, his blast hitting the Robeast in the chest.

The Robeast stumbled back, and Keith fired again.

 _"_ _Yes!"_ Hunk yelled when the Robeast toppled backwards.

 _"_ _Wait…,"_ began Shiro.

Lance's stomach plummeted when the Robeast slowly climbed back onto its feet, armor smoking but not damaged.

 _"_ _Shiro, you said this would work!"_

 _"_ _I…"_

The blasters weren't enough. They needed a better weapon…

 _"_ _Well, now what?"_

 _"_ _The last time I fought him, I had a sword!"_ Shiro cried.

 _"_ _Great, we're fresh out of those,"_ Pidge grumbled. _"Think we can fashion one with, like, some rocks?"_

There was no time to figure it out – the orb came again, and this time, they flew out of the way.

They took the second hit hard, the orb knocking against the shield. Lance winced.

 _"_ _We can't keep doing this,"_ Pidge yelled. _"A couple more hits, and we're out of the game!"_

 _"_ _Wait,"_ Keith said slowly. _"I think my Lion's telling me what to do."_

Lance was so relieved he could've kissed Red, though he figured Blue wouldn't like that very much. She grumbled in response.

"Well," said Lance. "Whatever it is, do it fast!"

Their shield dissolved in an instant. It was so sudden that there was no way to defend themselves; the orb tore at Voltron's armor. Blue roared.

The Robeast charged forwards, ready to deliver the final blow.

"Come on, Keith," Lance muttered under his breath. "Come on, Red. Pull through."

Lance felt the moment when Keith's bayard clicked into place in the keyhole console, felt the pride that lined the Lions' thoughts. He summoned a saber; their arm swung up in a move that Lance felt he'd seen from Keith before.

Where the blasts had had trouble, the saber had none. It cut cleanly through the Robeast – Myzax – with little resistance, the blade as fine as those of master swordsmen.

 _"_ _Yeah!"_

The Robeast twitched once, and Lance watched with a kind of morbid fascination as it exploded along where Keith had cut.

This – Voltron was capable of this and so much more. Lance knew that, knew better than anyone, but to know that the Lions had been built for it made him uneasy, sometimes.

"This is what he wants," Lance whispered. "He would tear apart the universe to have us."

 _"_ _How did you do that, Keith?"_

 _"_ _That was awesome!"_

Keith laughed. _"I… I don't know,"_ he answered finally. _"Heh. Thanks, Red."_

Allura was waiting for them. When the Lions, separated now, landed on the bridge, she rushed out to see them.

"You did it," she said, beaming at them all.

"Guess we did, huh?" Shiro said, smiling bashfully.

And they had. Another day, another victory.

"Come on," said Allura briskly, gathering her skirts together. "We're about to see the freed prisoners off, though I think a few of them have decided to stay here on Arus. This day isn't over yet, paladins."

What Lance really wanted was a nice, hot shower. Food sounded just as good.

But he followed Allura anyway, taking off his helmet and tucking it under his arm. He noticed Shiro putting a hand on Pidge's shoulder; the two of them looked at each other and then stepped outside, walking to the edge of the bridge.

Lance wanted to know what they were saying, wanted to follow them instead, but he didn't. He figured it was something bigger than he knew, something that they wanted to keep to themselves, so he let it be.

Coran was explaining something to the former prisoners when they approached him. He gestured wildly at a fighter pod, probably showing them how it worked.

"Ah, there they are," said Coran, and gazes shifted in their direction.

Lance shoved down thoughts of chains and glowing eyes and instead settled for a smile that was stretched a little thin, though no one could tell.

"Good luck out there," he said sincerely, clasping hands with Xi, the alien who'd apparently remembered Shiro.

"Thank you," Xi said as the others piled onto the pod. "All of you. I never dreamed I would be free – many of us thought we would never see our families again. Now we will."

 _Many of us_ , Xi had said. Lance wondered if he was a part of that group.

"You give us hope, Team Voltron," Xi continued, their hands lowering. "You give this universe hope."

Lance watched the fighter pod leave, nothing more than a speck of white against the sunset.

"I hope everything goes well for them," Lance commented to no one, unbuckling his armor and stepping out of it.

"So do I," Coran agreed, putting a hand on Lance's shoulder. "I think your paladin armor should be all fixed up by now, Lance. Shall we go see?"

Lance glanced back at the others and then left.

"You all did well today," Coran said as they walked to the armory. "I was impressed by Voltron."

Lance lifted his shoulder in a shrug.

"I don't know," he said.

"You did," Coran pushed. "You worked together as a team, and you defeated that Robeast! That's something you should be proud of, Lance."

"I just… I felt like…"

He cut himself off when he remembered who he was talking to.

"Like what?" Coran asked.

"I mean," said Lance. "We formed Voltron, and yeah, we defeated that thing, but we weren't a very good team. We didn't really listen to each other."

 _No one really listened to me_ , he wanted to say.

"You'll learn," Coran said brightly, clapping him on the shoulder.

Lance finished taking off the rest of the armor as Coran retrieved his own from the case it'd been in.

"Nice, isn't it?" Coran said, holding up Lance's helmet to the light. "Made by Altea's finest smiths."

He said the last part a little wistfully. Lance took the helmet from him and ran a thumb over the visor, then hefted it in his hands, testing its weight.

"Er, yeah," he said, clearing his throat.

"Ready for hundreds of battles to come," Coran continued.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Lance said. "I've fought enough battles in my life."

There was a moment of silence. Lance wondered if he'd said too much, if his slip-up meant anything to Coran.

"Why don't you try that on?"

He blinked, then looked down at the pieces of armor in his hands.

"Oh," he said. "Right."

The armor molded to fit his body, the pieces tight but breathable, strong but still flexible.

"Just like I remember," he murmured to himself.

"Did you say something?" asked Coran, and he shook his head.

The last piece was his helmet; Lance looked at his reflection in the glass of the visor. Blue eyes stared back at him, a shade darker than those of his original form.

"Ah," Coran said when he put it on. "Now you look like a proper Blue Paladin."

"Really?" he asked, amused.

There was a mirror on one of the walls that Lance went to stand in front of. The armor – his armor – was as good as new. He put a hand over his chest where there used to be fissures, the same spot where his skin was still marked.

"Cool," he said, though it really wasn't. Lance turned away from the mirror, from the person he saw in it, and instead clapped Coran's shoulder.

"Do you think the Arusians will throw us a victory party?" he asked. "Maybe a little parade? 'Lance is the best' banners?"

Coran chuckled. "I'm sure we could convince at least a few of them."

"There you are," Allura said when they ran into each in the halls. "I was just coming to inform you that the Arusians are throwing a celebration for, ah, our triumph over the Robeast."

"What did I say?"

Lance laughed.

Allura gave them both a questioning look but said nothing. "You still have some time. I suggest you rest a little, Lance – maybe take a shower." She wrinkled her nose. "You could use one."

He saluted her as she left, no doubt to make more arrangements for the upcoming celebration.

"This is where we part, I suppose," Coran said. "I should help the Princess."

"Er, right," Lance said.

"Do come find me if you need anything, though," Coran added. His demeanor was suddenly serious. "I'm always available to talk."

"Right," he repeated, looking away. "I'll see you later, then."

There was something about the way Coran had said that… something strange about how the man had been acting. The knowing look in his eyes.

Coran didn't know, though – he couldn't. Lance had been careful about what he was saying, with every move he made.

Still, an uneasy feeling gnawed at him.

The shower was suddenly less appealing. Lance stopped in front of his door, hand hovering over it, before he turned and went the other way. He let his feet carry him until he was standing in front of a different room, the door the same as all the others.

He wondered if anything had been touched in 10,000 years. If anything had changed.

The door made no sound as it sank back into the wall. Lance crept in, feeling like he was an intruder, someone who shouldn't be where he was.

"Hello," he said to the empty air.

Nothing had changed. There were still clothes hanging over the back of the chair, still scattered notes and things strewn over the floor, still a cup left on the desk, though its contents were long gone.

Lance stepped through the room carefully, trying not to disturb anything.

He scanned over the things on the desk and turned his attention to the drawers under it, pulling them out so he could search through them. Lance glanced at the door, wondering if anyone would come in.

In the third drawer, there was a little box; Lance made a noise of surprise and opened it. Inside was a shell that had been strung onto a chain. He turned it over in his hand and then pocketed it, unsure if he should feel heavier or lighter with the charm on him.

Lance shut the drawer, made sure everything was just as it had been before, and then left quietly. There was no one around as Lance snuck out of the hallway and headed towards the hangar.

"Hi, beautiful," he said, smiling when he saw Blue.

He walked forward a few more steps until he was standing at her feet.

"I think he knows," said Lance, leaning against Blue's leg. She hummed.

 _Does it change anything?_

He hesitated. Blue didn't move, but she nudged him with her mind.

 _Do you wish he didn't?_

Lance put a hand on her paw, feeling the energy spark between them. He rested his head against her leg for a moment, savoring her presence like he would a ray of sun.

After a while, she nudged him again; Lance's eyes flicked to the entrance of the hangar, where he caught faint golden light from the halls pouring in.

 _Go_ , Blue said when he made no move to leave her. _I will still be here._

"I'll be back," he said, pushing off and sticking his hands in his pockets. She just purred in response, then retreated so he could only feel her faintly in the corner of his mind.

No one saw when he slipped in to join the party, sidling up next to Keith and Hunk as if he'd been there all along. To their credit, neither one commented.

"What's up?"

Keith shrugged. "Trying out all the weird alien drinks Coran has been offering." He made a face at the cup in his hand.

"Here," Hunk said, passing him a cup. Lance eyed the pink liquid and lifted it to his nose, sniffing it. It smelled sweet and fairly harmless, so he gave it a go.

"Not bad," he said. Hunk nodded as Lance swapped drinks with Keith.

"What's this one?"

"Nunvill," said Coran, who came just as Lance lifted the cup to his mouth. He spat the drink out as soon as it touched his tongue.

"Ugh," he groaned, wiping at his mouth with a sleeve. He'd always hated the stuff.

Coran chuckled and offered him another cup. "There's plenty more to try."

Lance set the cup of nunvill down. "No thanks."

"Well," said Coran, eyes twinkling. "Suit yourself!"

Lance cast an eye over the crowd of dancing Arusians. Pidge was somewhere in the crowd; Lance saw Allura make her way over to him, the two of them chatting for a moment.

He suddenly felt terribly alone.

"I'm, uh," he started, horrified to find his voice rough. Lance cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm gonna… go."

He tore off before Keith and Hunk could say a word, escaping from the party and into one of the Castle's many hallways. He let his feet carry him and found himself standing in front of the star maps, the universe waiting for his touch.

Lance used his hand to guide the map to where he wanted to go. Home – he wanted to go home.

"Mind if I join you?"

A moment later, Coran popped up next to him, hands clasped behind his back.

 _Blue,_ Lance called, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

 _Lance_ , she soothed. _You told me it didn't matter to you._

"Looking for anywhere in particular?" Coran asked.

"Mmm," Lance answered. "I don't know…"

He wasn't going to find what he was looking for.

"Miss home?"

"Yeah," he mumbled. "I just… wish I could go back, you know?"

Coran put a comforting hand on Lance's shoulder. "What do you miss most?"

The question was innocent enough.

"Rain," said Lance. "Rain. The oceans, the seas, the _water_ …"

He wanted to sink under the waves, to answer the call of the sea; it had never quite been blood that had run through his veins but saltwater.

"If," he started, then hesitated. "If you could change the past, would you?"

Coran considered the question.

"No," he answered truthfully.

"And if… if someone in your past had done something terrible to you? If they'd lied to you?"

Coran pressed their shoulders together, his hand wrapping around Lance's wrist and squeezing.

"Then I would forgive them," he said. "And I would welcome them back with open arms."

Lance drew his arm over his face and muffled the sob that had made its way out of his mouth. He let himself cry for a moment then wiped at his wet eyes, sniffling.

"Here," Coran offered, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket.

"Thank you," he said quietly, taking it, but they both knew Lance was thanking him for so much more.

"Let's go rejoin the party, yeah?" Coran said after he'd calmed down a little. Lance wiped at his eyes and nodded, his face sticky and hot. He couldn't look Coran in the eye, instead choosing to look ahead.

There was a soft beeping noise. Lance blinked at Rover, the little robot floating past them.

"Hey, Rover," he said, amused when it whirred, though it didn't turn to face him.

He hadn't seen much of Rover – which was surprising, considering that it seemed to stick to Pidge's side – but then again, it'd been a hectic few days. Maybe Pidge was keeping it in the lab to mess around, which he did often anytime he got his hands on new tech.

Rover kept beeping; Lance tuned it out and then frowned.

But why would Rover come here? Pidge had no reason to program it to, and this was just the bridge. There was nothing here except for the crystal—

Pidge. Rover. The crystal—

It came together suddenly. Lance turned as Rover's beeping intensified, catching it as its lights flashed red.

 _"_ _Coran!"_

There was no time to think. Lance threw himself at Coran, covering him with his body to shield Coran from the blast.

A beat of silence, like time had frozen for just a moment. Lance closed his eyes, the only thought on his mind to protect. The shaking ground. The rumble of an explosion. Warmth across his back.

 _Protect. Protect. I have to protect—_


	10. Chapter 10

**familiar**  
chapter ten

* * *

When Lance had been younger, maybe twenty or thirty Aestusi sols, a storm had ravaged the seas of his home. He remembered feeling the first shift, how the waters had moved differently; remembered his mother taking his hand and diving into the depths, fish swimming frantically around them; remembered looking back and thinking about how beautiful the storm seemed, the last rays of sun caught in the tumbling waves.

It was the moment before the storm that Lance remembered most clearly.

First had been the quiet.

The wind that had been blowing around his shoulders and through his hair suddenly went still. He'd tasted the warm air and wondered if that was what electricity tasted like.

In the distance, he'd heard a low rumbling, the beginnings of a thunderstorm.

That memory was one he carried with him – the way the world had seemed to still for just a moment, that feeling of being on the verge of something great and terrible, how the storm had swallowed the sea.

 _"_ _Hold on, Lance."_

Lance felt like he was caught in that feeling, trapped in an endless loop with no way out. On the horizon, the storm gathered, but Lance couldn't quite see it.

 _"—_ _you… hear me?"_

 _"…_ _hurt…"_

The sound of voices rose and fell like waves; Lance wondered if he was underwater, the sound distant and echoing.

 _"…_ _Lance… he— pod now!"_

 _"—_ _crystal—"_

There was something important he was forgetting.

Lance wanted to drift, wanted to sink into the inviting waters of his mind, but something kept him awake.

 _"_ _Coran, we… the.."_

 _Coran._

 _Protect. Protect._

It came back to Lance in pieces, like he was collecting bits of broken shells and holding them in his hands, hoping they wouldn't slip between his fingers.

The Arusians. The celebration. Coran. Rover. The crystal.

It was a trap – had to be. There was something bigger looming behind it all, someone who was holding all the cards and was dealing them out slowly.

 _"_ _We should split up."_

Lance groaned.

 _"_ _Nn…"_

The sound dipped for a moment. Lance was suddenly aware of a cool, gentle hand on his forehead; he leaned into the touch, sighing.

 _"_ _..nce? Lance?"_

He groaned again; his thoughts fled from him then, slipping away.

 _"_ _Hold on, Lance… gonna be okay—"_

 _Uadsty hovered over him, their face pinched in worry. A hand pressed down on his shoulder; underneath it was blood, seeping through his armor._

 _"_ _You're gonna be fine," they continued._

 _Lance choked out a laugh, even if it hurt. "I'm always fine."_

 _"_ _Oh, shut up," Uadsty said, then turned their attention away from him for a moment to scan the surroundings._

 _"_ _Any sign of… well, anything?"_

 _Uadsty's fingers dug into his shoulder._

 _"…_ _No," they finally said. Lance's heart sank in his chest. Help wasn't coming, and here they were, stranded in enemy territory. And though Lance hated to admit it, he knew he wasn't doing too good._

 _"_ _We need to move." The strength in his own voice surprised him, but Lance gritted his teeth against the pain. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, fire erupting across his shoulder._

 _"_ _Lance," Uadsty said, but they helped him. "Let me bind your wound first."_

 _"_ _No time," said Lance._

 _"_ _Too bad," replied Uadsty, holding him in place with one hand and deftly pulling at his armor with the other. They tore off a part of his sleeve to use and wrapped his shoulder tightly; Lance turned away, biting down on his lip hard to keep himself from crying out._

 _In the distance, a howl tore through the air, followed by several more. The sound sent shivers racing up Lance's spine._

 _"_ _Come on," Uadsty said. "Can you walk?"_

 _"_ _It's my shoulder that's hurt, Uadsty, not my legs," Lance said, but his knees buckled when he tried to stand. Uadsty caught him, wrapping an arm around him to brace him._

 _"_ _Okay?"_

 _"_ _Yeah," Lance said, taking a few hesitant steps forward like he was a child learning to walk._

 _Not for the first time, Lance wished Blue was here with them, if not for the help then for the company. But the Sllaluris had insisted – no Lions or no alliance. Alfor had tentatively ordered for them to leave their Lions, as much as they'd protested._

 _They'd had their bayards, of course, and they were good fighters – but against an army, taken by surprise, even the great paladins of Voltron hadn't stood a chance._

 _"_ _We need to get to higher ground," Uadsty said. They took a few more steps together, Lance feeling dizzy as they moved forward._

 _They trudged up the hill together. Lance kept glancing over his shoulder, but there was no sign of their pursuers._

 _Then the first Sllaluri burst through the trees. Lance locked eyes with it – the Sllaluris chasing them had shifted into terrible, wolf-like creatures. They were easily the size of a small fighter pod, dark in color and with five legs each._

 _"_ _Oh, befir," Lance swore. "Why is it always me?"_

 _"_ _Shut up and run," said Uadsty, turning and extending their bayard into a whip._

 _"_ _And leave you?" Lance asked, gripping his own bayard. "If anything, you should leave me. I'm slowing you down."_

 _He always seemed to be— the weak link…_

 _And yet no one had ever left him behind, not once. Lance stumbled back a few steps, extending his bayard, too. His shoulder and arm burned with the effort of holding it; the weapon shook in his hands, and Lance knew then that he wouldn't be able to fight._

 _"_ _Go, Lance," Uadsty said._

 _"_ _No," said Lance. "I told you I wasn't leaving."_

 _"_ _Change of plans. Come on," Uadsty yelled, changing directions. They grabbed Lance's wrist and began pulling him along, the two of them running. Lance stumbled, gasping as pain danced across his shoulder, but he kept going._

 _"_ _Ah, the old-fashioned running for our lives," Lance panted. "Nothing beats that."_

 _"_ _The flight zone," said Uadsty. "We just need to get there."_

 _They'd planned it out beforehand. If anything went wrong, they'd meet there and take off – a precaution, Zarkon had said, his gaze distrustful._

 _Lance hooked his bayard at his side, knowing he wouldn't be able to use it. They stumbled through the forage, the prey of hunters who had the upper hand._

 _"_ _Right," Lance said. "Flight zone. Okay."_

 _In the distance, Lance could make out the tall, blue spires of the Sllaluri castle – they were getting closer._

 _A blinding pain swept through his arm; Lance cried out, gripping it as he missed a step and fell over. Uadsty didn't hesitate. They slung him over their shoulder, bracing him with a hand._

 _"_ _I'll slow you down," Lance protested. Uadsty ignored him. "Let me go. I can—"_

 _"_ _Can what? Ditch me like the self-sacrificing idiot you are? Not a chance, Talin."_

 _Lance winced. Uadsty only ever called him Talin when they were serious._

 _"_ _Getting closer," Uadsty said. The castle was bigger now, and right in front of them was the flight zone, a large square equipped with towers and staff meant to make flight on and off Sllaluria easy._

 _Lance had to crane his neck to see, but he spotted two figures fighting back-to-back in the flight zone. Am'lei and Elolith._

 _He turned back to see a Sllaluri leap over their heads and land in front of them, snarling. Behind them, a pack slunk out, growling._

 _"_ _Drop me," Lance commanded, and Uadsty didn't argue. He twisted so he could land in a crouch on the ground.  
Uadsty stood over him, whip dragging in the grass. They moved when the Sllaluri who'd cut them off did, the whip wrapping around its throat and sending it flying. _

_One down, a lot more to go._

 _"_ _Lance," someone hollered. A tick later, Am'lei was next to them, standing in front of Lance protectively._

 _"_ _Get Lance," Uadsty said. "He's hurt."_

 _They brandished their whip threateningly._

 _Am'lei dropped to his side. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder, turning it so she could see. He hissed when her fingers ran over the makeshift bandage lightly, already soaked through._

 _"_ _Anam," she said, voice soft._

 _"_ _Anam," he responded, turning his face away so she wouldn't see the grimace._

 _"_ _Let me take it," she murmured, helping him up._

 _"_ _No," Lance said, but she'd taken some of his pain, wincing._

 _"_ _Zarkon's waiting—"_

"Lance," a voice muttered, breath ghosting across his ear. "I'm sorry, Lance."

 _"—_ _for us. He's been circling and evading ships for a while now until we could regroup."_

 _Sure enough, a fighter pod was zipping above their heads. Zarkon couldn't land, Lance realized, not before he was shot down, so in the air he stayed._

 _"_ _Come on," Am'lei said._

 _"_ _We'll hold them off," Elolith said, appearing out of nowhere and firing off a few rounds. Something crackled in Lance's ears; it seemed like their comms signal was still jammed._

 _Am'lei lifted her arms above her head and waved wildly, signaling to Zarkon. It was time to go._

A kind of dull, terrible pain swept through him. Lance's head pounded; his mouth felt dry and fuzzy, like someone had stuffed cloth in it. He tried to open his eyes but found he couldn't.

"Lance?"

 _He was drifting by the time Zarkon managed to get low enough so they could all get on board._

"Lance, you need to stay with me, okay? Stay with me, buddy."

 _"_ _Stay awake, Lance."_

 _"_ _Can't," he mumbled. Am'lei pressed a cool hand to his cheek._

 _"_ _Please?" she asked. "For me?"_

There was something cold under him; Lance shivered and then moaned when the movement sent pain racing through every part of his body.

A hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Lance," he heard, the words distant. "Help's on the way, okay?"

"H– he…" he tried to say.

The hand squeezed comfortingly. "Hunk and Coran are getting a crystal. The Castle will be back online in no time, and we'll get you in a pod and healing in no time."

 _Crystal._ The fragments of his thoughts came together again.

"N-no," he groaned.

"Shh," said Shiro. A comforting hand passed through his hair. "You're safe. It's okay, Lance, I've got you."

 _The fighter pod shook. Am'lei grabbed him and threw herself around him, holding on as the pod spun. Around them, red lights flashed; Lance blinked at the scene tiredly._

 _"_ _No," Zarkon growled, slamming the controls. He cast a look back towards Lance._

 _"_ _Fire back!"_

 _"_ _No time," Am'lei spoke up. "We need to get out of here."_

Lance blinked. Once. Twice.

The light was blinding. He immediately snapped his eyes shut; pain danced behind them.

 _"_ _This is Zarkon reporting to the Castle. Can you hear me?"_

 _They all waited several moments, Zarkon evading the ships that were following them with ease. He weaved through the clouds, laserfire on their tail._

 _Elolith pressed the comms button again, opening the channel._

 _"_ _This is Elolith," she said. "Can anyone hear me?"_

 _"…_ _lith, hear…"_

 _Elolith leaned forward. "Hello?"_

 _"_ _Elolith, report."_

 _"_ _We need backup. We're being chased by several enemy ships, and the pod is damaged but still functional. Lance– Lance is hurt. The wound isn't bad, but he's lost a lot of blood."_

 _Am'lei touched his face. "It's gonna be okay."_

 _He leaned on her, burying his face in the crook of her neck and whining when her armor brushed his wound._

 _"_ _Am'lei…"_

"Champion."

He didn't know that voice. Lance shifted, hissing, but managed to crack open his eyes just enough to make out a Galran commander – Sendak.

He towered over Shiro, face set in a snarl. His cybernetic eye glowed a menacing red, trained on Shiro's face.

"Sh…"

Shiro didn't even look at him. He had his back facing Lance – guarding him. His arm glowed as he raised it in defense.

"Sendak."

"Step aside, _Champion_."

"You're not getting past me," Shiro said, taking a step forward. "This isn't your Castle, Sendak."

"Ah," the commander laughed. "But it isn't yours, either. And by the end of the night, it will belong to Emperor Zarkon."

The fight began so fast that Lance had a hard time keeping up. His head hurt every time he blinked. Shiro met Sendak blow for blow, keeping up well enough, but Sendak's prosthetic was more advanced.

He tossed Shiro back. The paladin landed on his feet, bracing himself against the ground, but Sendak had already moved.

Lance was so focused on the fight that he didn't notice the other Galra soldier until he was right in front of him.

"Perfect."

He dug his claws around Lance's armor and pulled him upright, his other hand holding him in place. Lance wailed, jerking as pain like liquid fire poured through him.

Close by, Shiro and Sendak were locked in a stalemate, prosthetics gleaming at each others' throats.

"Let him go," the Galran holding him said. Shiro jerked in surprise, eyes darting over to them. He paled at the sight.

"Let him go," he said again. "Or your _friend_ here gets it."

"Lance!"

"Shi…ro, don't–"

 _"_ _Lance,"_ Shiro said, eyes wide.

The Galran dug his claws into the soft skin of Lance's throat, drawing blood. Lance gritted his teeth, trying to turn his face away, but he couldn't.

"Don't…"

Shiro lowered his arm.

The moment he did, Sendak struck. Lance cried out when Shiro crumpled to the ground.

"Bring him," ordered Sendak, nodding in Lance's direction but not looking at him.

"Yes, sir," the soldier said.

Sendak turned, a grin on his face. In the soldier's grip, Lance shuddered.

"Voltron is ours."

Though Lance didn't want to be, he was wide-awake. Now that he'd been dragged back into consciousness, there was no going back. Pain kept him awake.

"Hook it up," Sendak ordered.

Lance watched in horror as a large crystal was dragged out, a perfect size to power the Castle. It wasn't Balmeran, though – well, not as far as Lance could tell. This one was purple; darkness seeped in it where light should have been reflected.

He looked around. There was little left of the crystal the Castle had been running off of before; only shards here and there remained, glimmering in the light.

A screen appeared, and Sendak stepped forward, putting his hand on it.

A view of the hangar was pulled up – the Lions were all locked in their bays, every one of them. Lance bit down on his lip when he saw Blue, her particle barrier up but her eyes dim.

He was too tired to reach out to her, too lost in his pain to try.

"Raising particle barrier," Sendak commanded, and the screen blinked. Lance went limp as the shields around the Castle went up; Sendak waved a hand, and views from every inch of the Castle and around it sprung up.

"Begin launch sequence."

"What's this?" Sendak crooned, his cybernetic eye whizzing as he looked at one of the camera's views. He tapped on it, enlarging it, and Lance's heart sank even lower in his chest.

"No…"

Keith and Allura were just outside the entrance. Lance could see their mouths moving, but there was no sound.

Keith yelled something, banging on the particle barrier.

"Keith…" he murmured, as if the other paladin could hear him. "Keith, there's no use."

Allura wrenched him backwards, her hand tight on his shoulder. She said something fiercely, and he seemed to calm a little.

Then Allura stared straight up at the screen unflinchingly. The look in her eyes was, in a word, scary. She spat out a threat; even Sendak took a step back, but he kept silent.

Allura said something, but Sendak closed the view.

"Make contact with Emperor Zarkon," he ordered. "Now, Haxus!"

"Ah," Haxus said, strolling over to the control panel and hovering over them. "Yes, sir."

Lance slumped on the floor, unable to move. Haxus had bound his hands together while he'd been distracted – not that Lance was much of a threat, anyway. Shiro groaned next to him but didn't wake.

 _Zarkon._

He hadn't seen Zarkon in— in…

"No," he whispered.

 _"_ _Sendak."_

Zarkon's voice filled the room, low and gravelly. A moment later, he appeared on the screen, and Lance squeezed his eyes shut.

His voice was the same, but he looked different. Older. His face was thinner, sunken-in; gone was the fur that had covered his jaw. He didn't look Galran at all – instead, he looked almost reptilian.

And his eyes…

They weren't yellow, like the others' – Zarkon's were a deep, glowing purple.

What had they become, the two of them? Both of them had changed deeply – there was no going back to the way things had once been, as much as Lance wanted them to.

His chest ached. This was barely Zarkon at all.

"My mission is complete," Sendak reported. "I've captured the Altean Castle and the Voltron Lions – and even two paladins, to be brought back as prisoners."

Zarkon didn't smile – he rarely did.

 _"_ _This is most pleasing,"_ he said. _"Which paladins?"_

Sendak glanced back at them; Lance screwed his eyes shut, turning away.

"Black, Your Majesty," he said. "And Blue."

Zarkon nodded, the look in his eyes calculating. He laughed then, but there was no humor in it.

 _"_ _The Champion… and the Blue Paladin,"_ he mused. _"It's been millennia since I have encountered a Blue Paladin. The last one… such a shame. I would have welcomed him as a brother."_

Lance bowed his head, curling up as best he could with the restraints, even though it hurt like hell. He cried then, biting down on his lip to muffle the sound.

On the screen, Zarkon's hand drifted towards the right side of his face, though he didn't realize he was doing it. A scar cut down from his eye towards his jaw, ending just below his mouth.

Lance had given him that.

"I'm preparing for launch," said Sendak. "Voltron will be yours."

 _"_ _Very good,"_ Zarkon said softly. _"You have done your emperor a great duty. Vrepit sa."_

Sendak saluted.

"Vrepit sa."

The transmission ended. Lance closed his eyes bitterly, hoping desperately that this was all some sort of fever dream, but he knew it wasn't.

"Haxus. Prepare the Castle for takeoff."

Haxus smiled. "Yes, Commander."

As Haxus left, Sendak placed a hand on the lock screen; it scanned his hand, blue light filtering between his fingers. All around Lance, the Castle began to change. The inviting blue lights darkened, turning a reddish-purple color and giving the halls a menacing glow. The Galra symbol appeared; across the screen scrolled two familiar words.

 _VREPIT SA._

The hope in his chest flickered and then went out completely, a candle that had been caught in the wind.

The Castle of the Lions had fallen.


	11. Chapter 11

**familiar**  
chapter eleven: interlude

* * *

Pidge watched the fighter pod go then turned, making her way back towards the bridge. She didn't know what else to do – Keith and Allura had the Arusian village covered, and Lance would probably appreciate some more company.

She frowned as the familiar sounds of a scuffle reached her eyes. She'd recognize the sound of a fist fight anywhere – Lance had gotten into too many of those back at the Garrison.

"Shiro?" she called.

There was no response. Pidge tapped her helmet, frowning. Maybe he'd taken off his helmet – but that didn't account for the fight.

"Shiro?"

There was a sudden silence. Pidge swallowed, glancing at Rover, and extended her bayard. It was weird to say that the weapon gave her a little bit of comfort, but it did.

She crept through the halls, keeping her back flush to the walls, though she was small enough that she could be overlooked.

"Shiro?" Pidge tried, keeping her voice low. She reached the bridge then paused.

 _Assume the worst,_ Matt had always said.

 _"_ _Vrepit sa,"_ someone said, and the phrase was echoed.

"Well, _that's_ not Shiro," Pidge muttered to Rover. The bot beeped in agreement. Careful not to make a sound, she slowly moved so she could look around the corner.

Standing in front of the controls was none other than Sendak, a Galran soldier next to him. Pidge covered her mouth with a hand, trying not to cry out.

Shiro. Lance. The fight.

The only reason Shiro would've given in was if they'd used Lance against him. The thought made her stomach twist.

She pressed herself against the wall, mind racing, before daring to look again.

They were there. Shiro had been knocked unconscious – the sight made anger boil in her veins – but Lance, it seemed, was awake. He'd curled into himself, obviously in pain. And though Pidge wasn't sure, she thought she could see his shoulders shaking in a silent sob.

"Haxus," Sendak said. "Prepare the Castle for takeoff."

"Yes, Commander."

Pidge hid as Haxus walked past, exiting the Bridge and turning towards a different part of the Castle. She snorted – that was definitely the wrong way.

Sendak stayed on the bridge, pacing back and forth in front of the screen. He looked distracted; Pidge glanced at the screen and found that he had camera feeds rolling.

She pressed her lips together. Had to fix that.

Pidge wasn't close enough to hack in – and even if she managed to, reading alien wasn't something they taught at the Garrison.

"Rover, think you can give me a hand?"

Rover beeped in response, and Pidge smiled.

"Thanks, buddy."

As Rover slipped into the room, Pidge crept a little closer. Lance hadn't moved from his spot. He looked… really bad. His armor was burned all over, and there was a deep scratch running down his shoulder, though he didn't seem to be bleeding.

The worst was the look on his face. From here, she could see his twisted expression, the way he'd tucked his head down to cry. Pidge had only seen the same expression on him once, after a particularly hard day at the Garrison – Iverson had called him a failure, insignificant and worthless to the program.

Pidge curled her fingers into a fist.

Her next move wasn't the smartest, to be honest.

 _"_ _Lance,"_ Pidge hissed. "Lance."

He lurched, then turned pale, clamping down on his lip to keep from crying out. Pidge cringed.

His eyes flickered towards Sendak before flitting in her direction. They were dull with pain, but a little light flared in them when he spotted her. He looked at Sendak again and then shook his head frantically.

"Lance," she whispered. "Don't give up, you hear me?"

He looked towards the ceiling, eyes glassy, but finally nodded.

"I'm gonna fix this," she told him, creeping away.

Pidge was careful as she weaved through the halls, keeping an eye out for cameras. They were little things, circles barely the size of her palm.

"Blind spots," she muttered to herself, eyeing a camera. Something clicked in her head.

If she could get up there…

Pidge eyed the camera again, and then turned her attention to the vent next to it.

"Rover?"

Out of nowhere, the little bot rammed into the camera, then hovered in front of it, lights flashing. In a minute, the camera had been jammed. Pidge, halfway up the wall, paused to high-five Rover.

She yanked the cover off and let it clatter to the ground before crawling in, thankful for her small stature for once.

Safely hidden, she curled up for a moment, turning her comms on.

"Keith? Allura? Can you hear me?"

For a second, she thought they wouldn't answer.

 _"_ _Pidge! Pidge, where are you?"_

"In the Castle," she reported. "Sendak… Sendak's taken the Castle."

Then, quieter, "He's got Lance and Shiro."

Keith made a strangled noise over the comms, but Allura stayed calm.

 _"_ _Listen to me, Pidge,"_ she said, and Pidge straightened as best she could in the vents. _"If Sendak has begun the launch sequence, then we don't have much time before the Castle takes off. You have to stop it."_

Pidge took a deep breath.

"Tell me what to do."

 _"You have to get down to the main engine control panel and disconnect the primary turbine from the Central Energy Chamber. If you can do that, Sendak will have to reset the whole system. That might give us enough time to find a way to stop them."_

Pidge frowned but nodded. That sounded doable.

 _"_ _Going through the vents?"_

Pidge blinked. "Er, yes, Princess."

On the other end, Allura chuckled. _"I'll get you there in a tick, then. I used to get into all sorts of trouble in my younger years."_

"You? Trouble?"

Picturing a younger Allura crawling around in the same vents Pidge was in made her head spin. She shook her head and focused.

 _"_ _Okay,"_ Allura began. _"If you're near the bridge, then… alright. Do you see a fork up ahead? The vent should split in two, one continuing forward and the other going to the left."_

"Yeah," Pidge responded, crawling forward.

 _"_ _Good,"_ Allura said.

She was led through the vents step-by-step, Allura never faltering once.

"Okay, Rover," she said. "Here we go."

Pidge dropped down the elevator shaft, the air knocked out of her lungs when she landed.

"Disconnect the primary turbine," she repeated to herself. Once she'd made it in, she ran to the controls in the center.

"Allura, I'm in. I think the turbine's started."

Pidge pried the panel off, Rover dodging as it flew behind her shoulder.

 _"_ _Okay, you just have to enter the following sequence—"_

"Uh, Allura? A little problem. I can't… read Altean."

The little symbols etched onto the turbines were completely foreign to her – Pidge only understood two languages: English and code. Depending on who was asked, it could be said she only really knew one, and it definitely wasn't English.

"Which one is it?"

They were all the same size – there was no label in English that Pidge could use.

The humming in the background grew louder. The energy swelled, pulsing, and static sang in her ear.

"Allura? _Allura?"_

"Alright, Matt," Pidge muttered to herself. "I'm following your stupid advice. Wing it and hope for the best."

With nothing left to do, she used her bayard to cut through the entire thing. The control panel sparked – she'd done it.

"Sorry, Allura," she mumbled. "Hope this can be fixed."

Rover beeped, and she scrambled backwards.

"Let's get out of here!"

 _"_ _Pi.. hear me?"_

"Oh, thank God," she muttered, panting as she looked for the nearest vent. Using her grappling hook, she pulled herself up towards it and hid. "Allura, is that you?"

 _"_ _You did it,"_ Allura congratulated. _"But victory won't last long. The damage can be repaired – and you can't fight Sendak alone. You have to get us in."_

Pidge frowned. "The particle barrier?"

 _"_ _Yes. The particle barrier generator is under the main hull – I can guide you there."_

Pidge felt like some sort of secret agent creeping through the vents, like a character straight out of the spy movies Matt loved so much.

In the comms, Allura kept guiding her through; Pidge followed the instructions robotically, her mind in a thousand places at once. She couldn't stop thinking about Matt.

He was out here somewhere. He and Dad both were.

"Lance needs your help," Pidge reminded herself. "So does Shiro. Everyone's depending on you. Focus."

She couldn't, though.

The sides of the vent were shiny; in the dim light from her armor, Pidge could see her reflection. If she tried hard enough, she could pretend it was Matt watching her.

 _Katie paused, her fork halfway to her mouth. When she looked up, she found Matt watching her, a pensive look on his face._

 _"_ _What?"_

 _Matt looked away, stabbing at his plate._

 _"_ _Nothing."_

 _"_ _What?" Katie pressed, leaning forward, though she glanced at her parents to see if they were watching. She kicked Matt under the table and sent him a look that meant she wanted to know what he was thinking._

 _"_ _You'd better eat up," Dad said, eyeing Matt. "This is the last home-cooked meal you're going to get in a while. Ah, two months of the Garrison's best freeze-dried peas."_

 _"_ _Ew," she said._

 _Matt snorted. "Don't remind me. And besides, you love those peas."_

 _Dad shrugged, smiling guiltily._

 _"_ _What can I say? The chefs at the Garrison really know how to genetically manufacture their vegetables. Now if only they could get—"_

 _Matt rolled his eyes. "We get it, Dad."_

 _Katie pressed her lips together and stared down at her food. After tomorrow, half the seats at the dinner table would be empty. Matt and Dad would be in space, drifting through the stars – and she'd be here, always left behind because she was too young._

 _"_ _Wish I could go," she said finally._

 _"_ _Something tells me that you're going to have your own crew someday. And you're going to fly with them to worlds so far away, we can't even imagine. I bet my bottom dollar you're going to be part of something that makes the whole universe sit up and take notice."_

Pidge wiped a hand over her eyes, sniffling. Rover beeped next to her; she patted it idly, sighing.

And then she'd seen the news.

Pilot error. The mission, gone. The three crew members, thought to be dead.

 _"_ _A sad day for all humanity,"_ he'd said. She'd cursed at the television, storming upstairs. They weren't dead.

She hadn't doubted them once. Hadn't doubted Shiro, either.

Armed with a PC and her determination, she'd hacked into the Garrison twice – once at home and the second time at the Garrison itself, sneaking in.

 _"_ _Where's my family?"_

 _"_ _Escort Miss Holt—"_

 _"_ _Answer me! Where– is my family?"_

 _"—_ _off the premises. Make sure every guard – and I mean every guard – knows she isn't to be allowed on Garrison property ever again."_

 _She struggled against the guards, their arms hooked around hers._

 _"_ _You can't stop me," she spat at Iverson. "I'll find the truth."_

Pidge reached up, fingers brushing the back of her hair. It was getting longer – if she wanted to keep up her ruse, she'd have to cut it again soon.

She remembered cutting her hair; remembered trading in her dress for a shirt and trousers; remembered stepping into Matt's room and snatching his old wire frames from his dresser, putting on the glasses and staring into her reflection.

 _"_ _Pidge Gunderson,"_ she'd told herself, meeting her own eyes in the mirror. Not Katie Holt, the girl she'd been, and not Matt Holt, who she looked like.

 _"_ _Pidge,"_ Allura called. _"How's it going?"_

"Good. Kay. Talk me through it, Princess."

 _"Shutting down the barrier from this room can be dangerous. Remember, the barrier is also a weapon. So, stay away from the energy arcs."_

"Giant lightning bolts?" Pidge asked, looking around. "Got it."

Rover beeped frantically. She cried out when it rammed into her, tossing her to the side as a Galra sentry behind her opened fire. She recovered in seconds, leaping to her feet and running.

 _"_ _Pidge? Pidge! What's going on—"_

A yell was Allura's only answer.

 _"_ _Are you there, Pidge?"_

Keith had joined in calling. Pidge growled, sliding on the floor like she was going for home base. She slammed the button that would turn the comms off.

Pidge ducked behind a structure, panting. She checked the map from her armor and found the only exit above her head. _Way_ above her head.

"Two floors up," she grumbled. "Honestly, architects have no sympathy for short people who need to get into the vents. Ugh."

A shot flew past. Pidge yelped, tapping furiously on the panel at her wrist.

"Let's see what happens if I do this," she told Rover.

The hologram shuddered as it came to life; Pidge sent it running out towards the energy arcs.

"There!" a sentry called.

Fire followed the hologram as Pidge made a break for it. Behind her, she heard the sound of what was hopefully Galran sentries exploding. She threw her hook, feeling it snag, and was sent zipping through the air.

"Ha," she said, ducking as gunfire followed. "Can't believe that worked, huh, Rover?"

Pidge flipped her comms back on.

"Allura! I need you to tell me how to get to the training deck from here!"

 _"_ _What? Pidge, why are you… take a left at the first crossing you see, then follow the vents until you reach another fork. The one that goes straight leads to the training deck."_

"Great," Pidge said. "Thanks a ton."

 _"_ _What—"_

Pidge cut her off again. Allura and Keith yammering in her ear would only be a distraction – and distractions in a time like this meant she'd be dead.

"The invisible maze," she muttered to herself. Behind her, the Galran sentries ran in pursuit. "Crap."

The sentries followed her onto the training deck.

"Let's see you get through this," she muttered to no one in particular. Rover beeped and flashed in a way that reminded her of faint amusement.

All around them, invisible walls sprang up. Pidge finished the rest of the maze easily, having memorized the path after the first few times she'd been shocked.

The sentries weren't as lucky. Pidge risked a glance back and saw one destroyed by an electric shock.

Rover beeped, and she followed it to another shaft, swearing when she heard the Galran sentry break free and follow.

"Faster," she told herself, the flight suit under her armor damp with sweat.

The Galra sentry fired. The first few rounds went above her head, but then one struck.

Pidge cried out as she fell, throwing her arm forward in instinct. The grappling hook flew upwards and wrapped around something; for a terrifying moment, Pidge hung in the air, her grip on her bayard the only thing keeping her from falling to her death.

Then the sentry she'd wrapped her bayard around came tumbling.

Pidge leapt to the side, hooking her fingers into the ridges of the vent as the sentry fell past her. She counted the seconds, waiting for the sentry to disappear.

The shaft shuddered suddenly, a shockwave travelling up the sides, and Pidge yelped when her grip loosened.

She closed her eyes—

Pidge wasn't moving. She cracked her eyes open and found Rover bracing her under her foot, beeping as it kept her from falling.

Pidge tossed her grappling hook up, finding a secure hold, and grinned.

"Thanks, Rover. Nice save!"

She found her way out of the shaft, feeling triumphant. Things weren't going _exactly_ to plan, but she was making it work.

A glance around the empty halls reminded her what she was here for.

 _Lance._ He'd been okay the last time she'd seen him – not in the best shape, but still _alive_ and _conscious_ , a small miracle.

"I'm coming, Lance," she said to the empty hallway. "I won't let you down again."

Pidge started down the hallway—

 _—_ _of the Garrison, wiping her sweaty palms on her pants. The clothes were a little too big; they sagged on her frame and made her look smaller, but at least they hid the few curves she had._

 _Up ahead, she saw two guys standing in front of an announcement board. Lance Fuentes and Hunk Garret – her future team. She'd done some research._

 _"_ _Pidge Gunderson? Who the heck is—"_

 _"_ _That's me," she said. "…Pidge, at your service."_

 _"_ _Welcome to the team. I'm Lance, fighter pilot."_

 _The other boy waved. "I'm Hunk."_

 _"_ _We got a lot of great times ahead," Lance continued, waving his hands in the air. "Simulations, mess hall food, and sneaking out in the middle of the night—"_

 _"_ _Lance, wait a minute—"_

 _"_ _Cute girls, pizza—"_

 _"_ _Whatever," Pidge snapped, already annoyed. He sounded almost like Matt; the thought made her chest ache. She didn't have time for this – didn't have time for late-night partying, either._

 _"_ _I'll meet you in the sims," she said, spinning on her heel._

 _Nearby, Iverson was walking with another officer, practically spitting in his face._

 _"—_ _want this place guarded, you hear? Security is our top priority, and I will_ not _have it breached again. Especially not by a little girl."_

 _Pidge kept her eyes down as she passed but snapped her arm up in a salute._

 _Iverson hardly looked at her._

 _"_ _Wrong arm, cadet."_

 _As she switched arms, Pidge let out a sigh of relief._

 _Lance called her name as she kept walking down the hall._

 _"_ _Wait… where are you— Pidge!"_

She sighed.

"I've already let him down, Rover. And now he's…"

The words got stuck in her throat. She didn't want to think about what Lance was going through – and what Sendak would do to him to get what he wanted.

"They're my team," she said instead. "No one's getting in the way of that."

 _Especially not Sendak._

With that in mind, Pidge set off at a run, her destination the Central Energy Chamber.

Getting there wasn't hard. It was figuring out how to stop Haxus that was the hard part.

She pictured Lance and gritted her teeth, clinging to a ladder on the wall. Haxus was opening the pathway to the link to the bridge, so he could reboot the system and get the engines to start.

But Pidge— Pidge could override that.

She found a panel on the wall nearby; this one only had wires and buttons – no Altean characters, which was great news.

"Gotcha," she muttered. "Let the countdown begin."

 _Five._ Haxus powered up the sub panels.

 _Four._ In the Central Energy Chamber, everything finished setting up. Sendak responded, confirming that all was clear on the bridge.

 _Three._ "Powering up."

 _Two._ Haxus paused at the control panel, his expression confused. Pidge frantically finished the last part of her plan, overriding the controls so the entire thing would overload.

"Sir, something's wrong."

 _One._ Pidge leapt off the ladder as the engine overloaded and exploded outwards. She watched grimly as Haxus was caught in the blast; the energy arced through the room and up the walls.

"Rover," she whispered. "Down there."

Under her hand, the bot beeped and slowly lowered them to the ground as Haxus stood and turned, suddenly aware of the presence behind him.

He laughed when he saw her, though the amusement faded as she let her bayard extend, glowing as it did.

 _"_ _You're_ behind all this? A mere child!"

Pidge snarled back at him.

"I'm not a child," she hissed. "I'm a paladin of Voltron."

"Voltron," Haxus mocked, drawing his sword. "Sure. But _I'm_ a soldier of the Galran Empire – and nothing will stop me but triumph or death."

"Well," Pidge said under her breath. "Guess we're going with death, then."

She struck with her grappling hook, wrapping it around his ankles and pulling him forward. Haxus retaliated faster than she expected, his sword biting into the air.

 _"_ _Ah,"_ Pidge cried, slamming into the ground to avoid being run through.

Rover beeped wildly and flew forward, hitting Haxus in the face.

Pidge knew a golden opportunity when she saw one. She slid between Haxus' legs and hooked her foot around one just like Matt had taught her, using her weight and momentum to toss him backwards.

For a moment, Haxus teetered on the edge of the gaping pit. His sword came swinging again; Pidge tensed, ready to block it—

—and Rover slammed into Haxus' legs, making him stumble back.

Their eyes met.

Pidge took a step back as Haxus cried out, plummeting into the pit behind him. She took one deep breath after another. Haxus was gone.

"Good work, Rover," she said, holding her hand out for a fist-bump. Rover gently pushed against her knuckles, beeping.

The panel crackled.

 _"_ _Haxus, report! Haxus!"_

Pidge gritted her teeth.

"Sendak," she spat.

 _"_ _What—"_

"Haxus is gone," she growled, and saying it out loud made it real. "And _you're_ next."

 _"_ _Turn yourself in to me,"_ Sendak replied. _"This Castle is mine – what are you trying to do? You can't stop me."_

Pidge glanced at Rover.

 _"_ _Never."_

 _"_ _Never?"_

Sendak laughed, and the sound made chills run down her spine. Why was he laughing?

 _"_ _Are you forgetting what I have over you, little paladin?"_ he crooned. _"Or, perhaps, who? Maybe your… leader can convince you."_

 _"_ _What do you want?"_

Pidge stumbled back. Shiro.

"No," she gasped, but there was nothing she could do. "Shiro? Shiro!"

 _"_ _Your little friend wanted to hear from you,_ Shiro _."_

 _"_ _Pidge!"_

There was a faint buzzing sound; Pidge felt her heart drop in her throat. It sounded like—

 _"_ _Pidge, whatever happens, don't listen to—"_

Shiro cried out, screaming as Pidge stood there, trembling.

"No!"

 _"_ _Don't— agh!"_

 _"_ _Not giving up yet?"_ asked Sendak, sounding amused.

His voice echoed around her – he'd turned on the speakers, broadcasting himself to the Castle and its surroundings. Now, not only could Pidge hear him, but Keith and Allura outside could, too.

"Stop it, Sendak," she threatened. He only laughed.

 _"_ _Maybe,"_ he said, drawing the word out, _"if your leader can't convince you…"_

 _"_ _Sendak, you bastard, let him go—"_

No. Not Lance, _please,_ not Lance—

 _"…_ _maybe your friend can."_


	12. Chapter 12

**familiar**  
chapter twelve

* * *

Lance pressed the side of his face to the cool floor, letting out a soft breath. He felt hot, terribly so, like he'd been out in the sun for too long.

The pain from the blast had long since dulled into an ache, but Lance knew that if he moved, it would flare up again.

Instead, he tried to ignore it. Sweat made his hair stick to the back of his neck; Lance licked his dry lips and closed his eyes, trying to focus on other things.

The Castle of Lions hadn't fallen once since its creation – and yet here they were. Lance and Shiro, bound as prisoners under Sendak; Keith and Allura trapped outside the Castle; the others… gone. He couldn't remember where they were, the gaps in his memory too empty.

"Lance?"

His name was nothing more than a whisper, but he heard it anyway. Shiro was awake; he blinked at Lance, his eyes not quite focusing.

"Shiro," Lance sighed back. "Okay?"

Shiro rolled his shoulders back as best he could, stretching in his restraints. He shook his head, taking a moment, and seemed to clear his head.

"I should be asking you that."

Lance shrugged with a shoulder, though he regretted moving immediately.

"Fine."

They were quiet for a while; in front of the control panel, Sendak continued to pace back and forth, arms clasped behind his back. He didn't turn to face them once, though there was no way he hadn't heard them whispering.

Shiro shifted so he was closer, pressing their shoulders together.

"Everything hurts," Lance admitted after a second, his voice smaller than he wanted it to be.

Shiro's face twisted, shifting between dark anger, concern, and a heavy guilt that Lance wanted gone.

"I'm sorry," he said finally, and Lance turned his face towards him, cheek brushing against Shiro's knee.

"Not your fault," he reminded gently. Shiro shook his head, opening his mouth as if he was thinking of arguing but then deciding not to.

Lance closed his eyes, taking what little comfort Shiro was offering. A cool breeze drifted by, and he tilted his chin up, drinking it in.

 _The summer night was hazy and warm. Lance leaned against the balcony, enjoying the view from the Castle. Far above his head, the stars glimmered; below, the lake glimmered, reflecting the glow of the many floating lantern-lights._

 _"_ _What are you doing out here?"_

 _Lance smiled, but didn't turn. He shrugged._

 _"_ _Can't a guy enjoy the view?"_

 _Am'lei knocked his shoulder with her elbow, a glimmer in her eyes._

 _"_ _Sure," she said. "Though I thought you'd be enjoying the view of your many, ah, fans. Why they like you, though, I have no idea."_

 _"_ _Hey," Lance cried. "I'll have you know that I am a single and attractive—"_

 _"_ _Single, sure. Attractive?" Am'lei winked. "That's doubtful."_

 _Lance put a hand over his heart, gasping dramatically._

 _"_ _I'm hurt. Why would you do this to me? I don't deserve this."_

 _"_ _Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's dance!"_

 _Lance cast another glance outside and then followed her inside – not that he had much of a choice, with the tight grip she had on his wrist._

 _Inside, the celebrations were in full swing._

 _Lance couldn't deny that he liked parties. There was an energy to them that Lance thrived on, a sort of magic that only existed when celebrations did._

 _The Castle staff had spent the past three quintants preparing – every single person. Little blossom-lights had been strung up everywhere, glowing like stars from the tall, vaulted ceilings. Larger lanterns cast a warm glow through the entire space. In the far corner, a group of musicians were playing a soft, sweet tune that the dancers swung to._

 _Lance stepped carefully to the side, moving out of the way as the fabric of a dress swept past him. He looked around, searching for his friends – Uadsty and Elolith were by the refreshments, laughing over a bowl of jurkana. Nearby, King Alfor and Allura were dancing together, faces bright with happiness._

 _"_ _D'you see Zarkon?" he asked as Am'lei tugged him closer, the two of them joining in the dance easily._

 _Am'lei made a non-committal noise. "You know how he is."_

 _He snorted. "Probably brooding in some dark corner, grumbling about security or something."_

 _They stepped towards the right and then swapped places, Lance gesturing with his arm. The song finished; he and Am'lei bowed to each other as a new song began, this one livelier._

 _"_ _Oh, I like this one," Am'lei commented, offering her elbow. Lance linked arms with her. It was an old folk dance from Traxiv they'd been taught; they'd spent so much time tripping over each other and laughing until they'd perfected it._

 _As the music picked up, they spun in fast, tight circles; Lance brought his hand up and met Am'lei's, the two of them stepping closer then back out._

 _While they danced, Lance felt a warmth in his chest that wasn't his but Am'lei's – a mix of pure joy and contentedness that made him smile._

 _"_ _Anam," he said quietly into her ear – a promise and a blessing. "Sister."_

 _"_ _Brother," Am'lei said back, smiling up at him. She squeezed his hand._

 _A few moments later, the song ended. Lance carded a hand through his hair, already damp with sweat. He tugged at the collar of the formal robes Zarkon had forced him into, wanting desperately to go back outside._

 _"_ _I'm going to go outside for a sec," Lance told Am'lei. The water was calling him; he hadn't had a good swim in a while, and he was dying to get out of these clothes._

 _Am'lei frowned. "Again? Want me to go with?"_

 _He shrugged. "Nah, I'm fine. I'll just… I'll be back."_

 _Lance felt uneasy, like there was something he'd missed. The buzz of the party was messing with his head – maybe he'd had more to drink than he should have, though it hadn't been much._

 _Walking outside made him feel better. A cool breeze drifted off the lake; Lance slipped off his shoes and waded into the water, only going a little ways in to keep his clothing dry._

 _He fingered the shell resting on his collarbone, lifting it up so he could look at it. Good luck – he rubbed it once, hoping it would help. They all deserved a little peace._

 _The uneasiness didn't fade. If anything, it seemed to grow stronger, some sense of foreboding coming over him. Lance stepped back onto land, the grass prickly under his bare feet._

 _His heart shuddered. Something cold settled in his chest; Lance reached into the folds of his clothing and pulled out his bayard, crossing back to the Castle in long strides._

 _He tapped the communicator hidden in the gold loop on his left ear._

 _"_ _Guys? This is Lance. Come in."_

 _A tick passed._

 _"_ _Lance? What's going on?"_

 _He wasn't listening. Lance felt the air in his lungs disappear suddenly. A dark sort of surprise struck him then, like he'd just stumbled down the stairs in the dark._

 _"_ _Am'lei? Am'lei, are you there?"_

 _She didn't respond. Lance ran for the Castle, his heart pounding in his chest._

 _"_ _Am'lei," he said again, begging her to answer._

 _"_ _Lance!" Elolith shouted. "Down!"_

 _He dropped to the ground as the Castle shook, smoke billowing from the direction of the training deck._

 _"_ _What—" started Uadsty._

 _"_ _Was that the training deck?"_

 _Lance got back up and barreled towards the Castle. Two familiar silhouettes darted in the direction of the deck; he waved at them as he passed._

 _"_ _I'm gonna find Am'lei and Zarkon," he said, worry gnawing at his insides._

 _"_ _Got it."_

 _Lance stumbled as he searched the ballroom, scanning for any sign of either Am'lei or Zarkon. Hundreds of guests streamed outwards, a confused mass of people, all of them screaming and shouting._

 _In the center of the ballroom, Allura was attempting to bring order. King Alfor was next to his daughter, his gaze dark as he spoke to Piaes, Captain of the Guard._

 _Lance cupped his hands over his mouth. "Am'lei! Zarkon!"_

 _He couldn't shake the coldness in his chest. Something was wrong._

 _"_ _Am'lei!" he yelled again, not caring for the people around him as he pushed and shoved, searching desperately for his anam._

 _"_ _Lance!"_

 _He spun on his heel, searching for the person who'd called his name. Relief settled in him when he saw Zarkon tearing through the room, calling his name._

 _"_ _Am'lei," Lance said breathlessly the moment Zarkon skidded to a stop in front of him. "Am'lei. Do you— where…"_

 _Zarkon looked worried. There was a dark look in his eye, a look that Lance had seen more and more recently after battles; the lines in Zarkon's figure were tense, harsh like he'd been crafted from stone._

 _"_ _I don't know," Zarkon answered._

 _Lance twisted, panic making him desperate._

There was a shout. Pain erupted across Lance's side; he made a keening noise, curling in on himself as he tried to catch his breath.

"Lance!"

"Pathetic," a voice said, and Lance blinked to find Sendak in front of him, scuffing his boots on the floor. He kicked Lance again.

 _"_ _Am'lei! Am'lei, where are you?"_

"Let him go, Sendak."

Sendak laughed. "Or you'll what, little Champion? There's nothing you can do."

He knelt in front of Lance and forced him up into a sitting position, holding him with a hand. His cybernetic eye passed over Lance, sizing him up as if he was much of a threat.

 _Zarkon grabbed him before he could run._

 _"_ _Lance, calm down."_

 _"_ _Zarkon, let me go— let me— Am'lei!"_

"Lance, isn't it?" he asked, breath warm on Lance's face. "The Blue Paladin… Zarkon will be interested in you, though I fail to see your value. If it was up to me, you'd be dead, little paladin."

Lance mustered every bit of strength he had and spat in Sendak's face.

Sendak knelt in stunned silence for a moment before slowly wiping the spit off his face with the back of his hand.

"You'll pay for that, you insolent thing."

He backhanded Lance across the cheek; blood filled his mouth, tasting like copper.

 _He wrenched himself free of Zarkon's grip, calling out for Am'lei as he ran._

 _"_ _Lance!"_

 _Elolith was suddenly there, gripping his arm. There was a terrible truth in her face that Lance didn't want to read; it stopped him in his tracks, chest heaving._

 _"_ _Elolith?"_

 _She didn't say anything for a moment._

 _"_ _Hurry," was all she gave him, and they ran together, Elolith leading the way._

"Lance!"

Sendak hit him again, this time hard enough for him to see stars. Lance groaned, sagging forward as blood ran down his face.

"Stop it! Stop!"

The next hit sent darkness rippling across his vision. Blood leaked from a cut above his eye, dark red in color.

 _Lance couldn't see what was happening. There were too many people – healers and Druids alike standing in a circle around a motionless figure. On the ground, Uadsty knelt._

 _"_ _No, no, no—"_

 _Time seemed to slow as he approached. A Druid turned to see him and stepped away, the movement sending a ripple through the small crowd; they parted before him._

 _"_ _She's not—" started Uadsty. "She's not going to make it."_

"To think that a creature like you could be a paladin."

"No," moaned Lance. "Please."

He couldn't make out what was past and present anymore; he could feel Am'lei's blood on him, on his face, on his hands, crusting under his fingernails.

Sendak was in front of him; but so was Zarkon, kneeling next to him, dark eyes fixed on Am'lei's face.

He'd held her, had cradled her in his arms, begging her not to leave him. He'd whispered it through the bond between them, and then he'd cried, pressing their faces together.

 _"_ _Am'lei,"_ Lance whispered, fingers reaching for her, but she wasn't there. Gone— gone for ten thousand years, a figure lost to history.

"Anam," he called. "Am'lei…"

"Lance," Sendak said, rolling the name on his tongue like he was tasting wine. "Am'lei… I haven't heard that name in a long time."

He suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Lance's hand with a hand. Claws dug into the flesh under his chin; Lance gritted his teeth as Sendak lifted his face up so they were staring each other in the eyes.

"And what secrets are you hiding behind those pretty blue eyes?"

Lance pressed his lips together and said nothing, choosing to glare back instead. There was no real strength in it – everything was false bravado.

"Could it be…" began Sendak.

Lance closed his eyes, trying to turn his face away.

 _"_ _No—"_

A nail hovered just below his eye.

Shiro was shouting, yelling something, but the noise faded into a distant buzz in Lance's ears.

"Here," Sendak said, nail digging into his skin right where Lance's marking would've been. Lance bit down on the inside of his cheek so hard he drew blood.

"We all know the stories, you know," Sendak whispered, "so we will never be as _weak_ as you are… _Talin."_

"Lance?"

Sendak swung to face Shiro. "Your friends don't know?"

Lance didn't look at either of them, his face burning. He just stayed where he was, limp and silent, tears running down his face.

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?" Shiro growled. "Leave Lance alone!"

"Champion," Sendak boomed, sweeping an arm out towards Lance. "May I introduce to you Talin Forsune, the Blue Paladin."

He chuckled. "Zarkon will be pleased when I bring you to him."

Suddenly, a noise from the comms distracted Sendak. Lance felt the edges of his lips turn up when he realized it was Pidge.

"Haxus, report! Haxus!"

 _"_ _Sendak,"_ Pidge spat.

"What—"

Lance began to laugh. Sendak's plan, it seemed, hadn't accounted for Pidge at all – and he was paying for it.

 _"_ _Haxus is gone,"_ she growled, and saying it out loud made it real. _"And you're next."_

"Turn yourself in to me," Sendak replied. "This Castle is mine – what are you trying to do? You can't stop me."

 _Don't,_ Lance begged silently.

 _"_ _Never."_

"Never?"

Sendak laughed then, grabbing Shiro by the collar and hauling him closer to the control panel.

"Are you forgetting what I have over you, little paladin?" he crooned. "Or, perhaps, who? Maybe your… leader can convince you."

Shiro lifted his head, glaring.

"What do you want?"

 _"_ _No,"_ Pidge gasped, shock and fear evident in her voice. _"Shiro? Shiro!"_

"Your little friend wanted to hear from you, _Shiro_."

"Pidge!"

Sendak rolled his wrist, metal creaking as he did. His prosthetic gauntlet lit up dimly; Lance surged forward, but there was nothing he could do.

"Pidge, whatever happens, don't listen to—"

Shiro cried out, writhing on the floor as Sendak pressed the gauntlet to his back, electricity dancing across it.

 _"_ _No!"_

"Don't— agh!"

Sendak finally lifted the gauntlet away, leaving Shiro on the ground, groaning.

"Shiro," Lance tried, his voice hoarse.

"Not giving up yet?" asked Sendak, sounding amused. He ran his finger thoughtfully over the control panel, then tapped a button that Lance knew would turn the speakers on. It'd allow Sendak to broadcast them – something he was beginning to dread.

 _"_ _Stop it, Sendak!"_

"Maybe," he said, drawing the word out, "if your leader can't convince you…"

Sendak's eyes landed on Lance. Ice settled in his gut as he was dragged over next to Shiro.

"Sendak, you _bastard_ , let him go—"

Lance closed his eyes. Took a deep breath.

"…maybe your friend can."

Sendak pressed the prosthetic gauntlet to Lance's back, and immediately, his thoughts scrambled and turned to dust. Lance screamed, his back arching off the ground as fire burned through him. Every part of him hurt.

 _"_ _Please,"_ he managed to gasp out. "No, _please—_ "

Sendak stopped, and Lance shuddered, sobbing. He felt like a fish he'd once seen out of the water, left on the sand to die. It had choked on nothing, searching desperately for something that wasn't there.

"Make your choice," Sendak warned. "Their suffering is in your hands."

Lance blacked out.

The rest of it came in flashes, like scattered seeds in the wind.

Pidge, kneeling next to him.

"Lance? Lance, wake up!"

He blinked, and then Keith was there, charging towards Sendak. He raised his sword, exchanging a few blows before he was tossed back—

Shiro rushed forward, fire in his eyes—

 _Lance._

He blinked blearily, searching for the source of the voice, wanting to follow it.

 _Lance, wake._

"I'm… tired," he mumbled back.

 _Lance,_ Blue snarled, and her quintessence bled into his. He was suddenly hyperaware of the fight, of Keith's every move, of Shiro, his breaths heavy, of Pidge's light steps.

 _Lance. Your team is in danger._

He had to protect them. Had to.

The rifle formed in his hand without another thought; Lance focused, breathing out slowly as he aimed, and then took the shot.

 _Lance._

 _Blue,_ he thought back, blinking tiredly.

 _Rest_ , she murmured into his mind. _You have done well, paladin._

"Lance?"

Suddenly, Keith was there, kneeling in front of him. There was a soft look on his face that he'd never seen before.

"Lance, you okay?"

He looked past Keith and found Sendak trapped behind a barrier, his prosthetic arm completely gone. Then he looked back at the Red Paladin.

Am'lei would've liked him. The thought made Lance smile a little, even if it hurt.

Keith grasped his arm. "Lance?"

"We did it," he murmured back, leaning limply into Keith. "We are a good team."


	13. Chapter 13

**familiar**  
chapter _thirteen_

* * *

Lance watched as the ceiling blurred above his head. The halls passed slowly, even though he knew Allura was going as fast as she could.

She said something that Lance didn't hear. When he blinked, they were in the med bay.

"Here," said Coran. "I'll take him."

The world spun as Allura gently passed him over to Coran; Lance grunted, blacking out for a second before everything came back into focus.

"It's alright," Coran said, his voice just loud enough for Lance to hear him. "I've got you, Lance."

A flash of a memory — standing together, looking at the stars.

 _If you could change the past, would you?_

 _No._

"Coran," he breathed, struggling to sit up. He was pushed back down onto the table he hadn't noticed he'd been put on, hissing when his back flared with pain.

Coran gave him a look, keeping his voice low.

"Rest," he murmured.

"I—" Lance said, voice shaking.

Coran turned away from him, but the weight of a comforting hand on Lance's shoulder stayed.

 _I would welcome them with open arms._

"I'll get Lance in a pod in a tick – but there's still work to be done. You lot should go," he said, and Lance heard the other paladins mutter in protest. Coran looked back at them unflinchingly, crossing his arms.

"Come, paladins," Allura finally said. "I know we are all… concerned, but there are matters we must attend to. The Arusians need to be reassured that the threat is gone, and the Castle's systems should be checked – the crystal as well."

"Right," Shiro said. Lance couldn't see his expression from where he was lying, just the side of his face, a shadow covering it. He sounded hesitant, though.

The paladins shuffled out after Allura, speaking in quiet tones – even Keith, usually so loudmouthed and fired up. Shiro was the last to leave, glancing back at the two of them.

"Wait," Coran called after him. Shiro paused, then turned. "If you could…"

This time, Lance did sit up, his chest aching as he did. He pressed a hand to his ribs, a shuddering breath passing through his lips.

Shiro put a hand on his back, a silent show of support.

"Need some help?"

Coran opened his mouth thoughtfully, then closed it again.

"Let's get this armor off, yeah?"

Lance let them peel his armor off in pieces, only feeling vaguely embarrassed; he felt more tired than anything – numb, almost, if not for the pain blurring the edges of his vision and the panic in the back of his mind.

"Easy," Coran warned when Lance tipped dangerously to the left.

"Is the pod ready to go?" Shiro asked, hand still on Lance's back; warmth bled through the thin fabric of his suit.

Coran hummed, glancing over at it.

"With the crystal back up, it should be fine," he said after a moment. "But I think it's best to wait a couple dobashes before we get Lance here in, just to be safe."

Lance closed his eyes and let himself sink.

"Lance…" Shiro said, his voice low and troubled. "What Sendak said…"

He twisted to face Shiro, catching his wrist.

"I'm sorry—"

Shiro held up a hand. What frightened Lance the most was the look on his face: the shadows in his eyes; his lips, pressed into a thin, hard line; his expression blank and unreadable. He didn't know what Shiro was thinking, if he was confused or weirded out or worse, angry.

"We can talk later, Lance," he said, and something in his face softened just a fraction. "When you're healed."

His eyes flitted to Coran.

"Should be ready," the man said, his tone light but face dark.

They lifted him together and set him into the healing pod, cold air misting around him.

"Heal, Lance," Coran said, and there was a promise in his eyes. "We'll be there when you wake."

He closed his eyes—

 _—_ _for just a moment, then cracked them open again, hoping this was nothing more than a nightmare. It wasn't._

 _"_ _Hurry," Celia whispered, tugging at his hand._

 _He laced their fingers together and looked back at the place he called home. The caves were disappearing, the vast underwater network caving in on itself._

 _There was a rumbling sound; Celia cried out in dismay when another part of the caves crumbled._

 _"_ _We gotta get out of here," Lance said, shooting towards the surface. All around them, people were fleeing, the scene one of chaos and confusion._

 _He couldn't see the rest of his family, couldn't find them – but there was no time to look for them._

 _Celia lagged behind. She was smaller than him in every way and slower for it; he scooped her into his arms and kicked desperately._

 _They broke the surface not long after, though Lance's body ached, demanding rest. He didn't stop moving, not even after they'd dragged their tired bodies onto land._

 _There was a crowd of Aestusians in the distance; he caught sight of Nadi at the edge, looking out towards the water._

 _Celia broke from his grip. "Nadi!"_

 _He hissed when her hand left his and chased after her across the sand. He needed to protect her, needed to keep her safe, which meant staying by her._

 _"_ _Celia," he called, but she was already throwing herself into Nadi's arms. Lance growled._

 _"_ _Chenoa," he said this time, voice stronger, and Celia's shoulders slumped. He reached for her hand, and she took it._

 _"_ _Lance," Nadi said, and they clasped arms. "Thank the stars you're safe."_

 _He stood next to her and scanned the crowds, heart in his throat._

 _"_ _Do you know what's happening?"_

 _She shook her head._

 _"_ _I think," she started, glancing around before lowering her voice. "I think— well, you know."_

 _He looked at Celia, then hissed, "I thought the war was over."_

 _Nadi shook her head, eyes dark._

 _"_ _I guess it isn't, Lance."_

 _His friend looked towards the land-cities, the tall structures and buildings greeting their sight._

 _"_ _It's not safe underwater," he said for the both of them before lifting Celia into his arms. "If you see my family…"_

 _Nadi squeezed his hand, and they parted ways._

 _Lance had spent more time on land than most, but this only helped him. He ran in the opposite direction, Celia clinging to him as he slipped through a gap in the western wall that no one had ever noticed._

 _"_ _We gotta hide," he said. They'd take shelter in the main hall, maybe – that was where everyone would go, hopefully including the rest of his family._

 _There was the sound of an explosion; Lance hit the ground, and the weight in his arms disappeared._

 _He staggered to his feet, but dust had risen around him, clouds the color of dirt. The ground seemed to shift underneath him._

 _"_ _Lance!"_

 _Celia's voice was awfully small. He coughed, stumbling as more dust filled the air._

 _"_ _Celia!"_

 _"_ _Lance! Lance!"_

 _The air tasted sickly sweet; Lance coughed again and covered his mouth, searching blindly for his younger sister._

 _"_ _Celia, where are you?"_

 _"_ _Here!"_

 _He followed the sound of her voice until he found her, curled into herself behind a fallen building. Lance crouched in front of her, opening his arms._

 _"_ _I'm scared," she mumbled against his skin._

 _"_ _I know," Lance said. He could feel her shaking and wondered if she knew that his bones were rattling in his body, that he couldn't stop thinking about if these were their last moments._

 _"_ _Lance—"_

 _The sound of footsteps, uniform and strong, echoed through the land-city. He grabbed Celia and ducked into the building, as broken as it was._

 _"_ _Stay quiet," he whispered, covering her body with his._

 _She trembled in his arms, burying her face in his neck._

 _"_ _We're gonna be fine," he said into her hair. "They're not gonna find us, I promise."_

 _The footsteps grew louder. Lance untangled their bodies quickly and quietly, leaving Celia hidden in the corner._

 _The ceiling of the simple home had caved in, as had a wall. If the rebels passed, they'd find Lance and Celia – they'd be dead before anyone could say a word._

 _He found a piece of jagged stone, the edge of it almost a blade. Against a gun – or a sword – it would do nothing, but Lance would be damned if he didn't fight back._

 _"_ _Chenoa," he said, voice sharper than a blade._

 _He could do it – could buy her time to run, to get as far away from here as she could._

 _"_ _Chenoa," he said again, using her birth name so she knew he was serious. "When I tell you to, I want you to run."_

 _"_ _Lance—"_

 _"_ _Go," he said, facing the opening._

 _Lance let himself look at Celia one more time. Looking at her was like looking in a mirror; she was younger, her edges softer, but they had the same eyes and the same blue markings._

 _She looked back at him, biting her lip. He tucked his memory of her away: her eyes, blue as the midday sky; dark hair like a cloud around her face; the blue-purple scales that crept down from her neck and wound down her body, the same color as Ren's._

 _"_ _Go," Lance said again. He dug his fingers into the cracks of the stone, running his fingers along the sharper edges. He'd die today._

 _Celia sent him one last, uncertain look before fleeing, her bare feet quiet against the ground. He didn't know, then, if he was— if he was sending her to safety or to death._

 _A rebel spotted him, marked by the arrow emblem on their left shoulder. Lance held his ground, but he was shaking._

 _"_ _On your knees, boy," they snapped, lowering a gun in his direction. "Or I'll blow your head off."_

 _Lance had little choice. He cast a fleeting glance in the direction that his sister had run in and then dropped to his knees. He stared at the ground._

 _In one fluid movement, the stone he'd been holding was knocked out of his hand. In the next, there was a barrel pressed to his forehead._

 _The rebel looked over him, grey eyes flitting over his face. Lance knew what they'd see first – the markings under his eyes, clearly Altean. He looked Aestusian, of course, but in this form, the one he'd been born in, his heritage was clear._

 _"_ _Altean…" the rebel muttered. They grabbed his arm and lifted him up, keeping the gun pressed to his head._

 _Altean._

Shift, _a part of him screamed. He could— he could shift into something stronger, could be something else entirely. He didn't need a weapon, not really, not when he could make his fingers claws or his teeth longer and sharper._

 _But Lance was frozen still. He couldn't shift; it was like he'd suddenly forgotten how to._

 _"_ _Please," he said, mouth dry. Lance had never hated the word more._

 _There was a distant roar. The rebel ignored it, dragging him forwards and out of the rubble._

 _"_ _Shut up," the rebel said._

 _"_ _Please," he said again, trying to keep the attention on him. He was brought over to a squad of rebels – maybe fifteen or so in total – and chained with his hands behind his back._

 _There were other captives, too. Though his chest felt heavy, he only felt relief when he scanned their faces; Celia wasn't with them._

 _"_ _Lance!"_

 _There, in the back, was Nadi; a sour taste crept into his mouth._

 _"_ _Nadi—"_

 _"_ _Didn't I tell you to shut up, boy?"_

 _There was a round of fire. Lance yelled, but it wasn't aimed at him at all. A rebel fell, followed by another._

 _His captor kept him in a tight grip and stole towards an alleyway. Lance knew this was his chance; he kicked at the rebel's leg, struggling in their grasp until he finally freed himself._

 _He darted between two buildings, and the rebel swore, chasing after him._

 _"_ _Caught you," the rebel snarled when Lance had been backed into a dead end. "Nowhere to go."_

 _"_ _What do you want," he hissed through his teeth. "Just– just let me go."_

 _A roar came again, this time louder. It was the same sound as earlier, low in pitch and strangely echo-like. The rebel's expression turned cold._

 _"_ _Voltron," they spat._

 _Despite himself, Lance grinned. He'd grown up hearing tales of Voltron, the newest defender of peace, had spent half his days in the streets of Altea looking up at the sky for the five Lions that would fly above their heads._

 _"_ _Right," a new voice said. "Voltron."_

 _A Galra clad in black-and-white armor stepped into the alley, a sword in hand. Lance could barely make out his face behind the darkened visor of his helmet, but it didn't matter. He knew who this was, though he'd never met him before._

 _Zarkon._

 _"_ _Let him go," Zarkon said, lifting his sword._

 _There was a moment when Lance thought the rebel would listen, a beat that seemed to drag on forever. Then the rebel raised their gun in response – but not at Zarkon._

 _Lance stared down the barrel and offered up a prayer to the gods._

 _Zarkon moved impossibly fast, nothing more than a blur as he put himself between Lance and the rebel. He heard the shot more than he saw it, felt Zarkon take a stumbling step back._

 _"_ _No," Lance yelled, but Zarkon wasn't going down without a fight._

 _The Black Paladin's sword – a weapon of legend – shone as the light caught on it, like a falling star. He cut the rebel down faster than Lance could process._

 _"_ _Are you alright?" Zarkon asked, turning back towards him. Lance stared at the spot where he'd been hit, pale blood staining his armor pink, then past him at the body of the rebel who'd almost killed him. He was shaking– shaking, and he couldn't stop._

 _"_ _Um," Lance said. "Shouldn't I… what– what about you?"_

 _Zarkon glanced at his wound, a hand covering it for a moment, before he clipped his bayard at his side._

 _"_ _Come on," he said. Zarkon lifted his helmet off his head, revealing a young, handsome face. Dark, cropped hair ran up from between his brows, stopping at the nape of his neck. He smiled slightly, revealing a row of sharp teeth._

 _Suddenly, Lance remembered the others._

 _"_ _My sister," he said._

 _Zarkon led him out of the alley and out into the streets. Lance winced when he saw the carnage. There was rubble everywhere; in the center, the city hall had been burned down. Lance swallowed, his throat full of ash._

 _"_ _My family…"_

 _But there were other Lions landing; to the west, he saw the Green Lion appear as if from nowhere, headed towards the water. The Yellow Lion was here, too._

 _"_ _Uadsty," Zarkon said. "Report."_

 _There was a response that Lance couldn't hear._

 _"_ _Lance!"_

 _He turned; a beat later, Celia hurtled into his arms._

 _"_ _Celia," he murmured into her hair, relief flooding his chest. "You're okay."_

 _The rest of the day seemed to pass in a blur. Celia clung to him, not once letting go – from being in the Black Lion to the Castle of the Lions, a place Lance had only been in a few times in his life._

 _He and the other refugees – Lance hated to call himself that, a refugee – were taken to the med bay. Along a wall was a row of healing pods; in one of them was the Black Paladin himself._

 _After a reunion with his family and being checked over by a medic, they'd been sent to an empty ballroom where mattresses and blankets had been set up._

 _Lance hovered by the door. Mama and Ren were talking quietly; Celia was there, too, curled up with her head in Ren's lap. Safe. They were safe, and none the wiser that he would've died had Zarkon not saved him._

 _"_ _Excuse me," he said to a passing Altean. "Um, where's the med bay?"_

 _He was kindly directed back to the room. Inside, it was quiet. The pods were filled; in a nook, two other paladins were talking, glancing over at Zarkon every now and then._

 _When he was sure no one was looking, Lance shuffled over to Zarkon's pod and stood in front of it. The white suit looked so different from his armor._

 _"_ _Thank you," Lance murmured, though he was sure Zarkon couldn't hear him._

 _Lance had heard of Zarkon. His intelligence, his strength in battle, his drive for victory._

 _A true paladin of Voltron, they said._

 _He'd taken that shot for Lance like it was nothing. Lance remembered seeing the blood and shuddered, his mind unable to match the image in front of him with the one in his mind._

 _"_ _You saved me," he said to the Galran. "I'll repay you for it one day. We Aestusi honor our debts."_

 _And it was a life debt Lance owed to Zarkon, whether or not the Black Paladin wanted it or not, accepted it or not._

 _"_ _Thank you," he said again._

 _Zarkon didn't reply, his face at peace as he floated in the pod._

 _A true paladin of Voltron, Lance thought._

 _A hero._


	14. Chapter 14

**familiar** _  
chapter fourteen_

* * *

Waking up was a slow thing.

First came the feeling of heaviness, followed by faint noise, like someone had thrown a thick blanket over his head and let him stumble forwards. Light pressed against his eyelids. Cold crept up his spine.

"Lance?"

Someone caught him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. There was a brush of cool metal against the nape of his neck; Lance blinked quickly and stood still for a moment.

"Shiro?"

The man next to him sighed in relief.

"I'm glad you're awake," he said finally. "The Castle's been… quiet without you."

Lance huffed out a laugh, though he wasn't sure what he found funny.

A dull ache began to pulse in the back of his head. He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes, trying to remember.

He'd been dreaming again, like he always did. This time, it'd been Zarkon. _Zarkon_ , who had taken a bullet for him without hesitation, who had taken him under his wing, who had, who _had_ , who—

 _—_ _had._ Had, and would never do so again.

Lance tried to think back. He shoved the memory aside and closed his eyes, taking a slow breath.

His memories played back. He didn't remember much; his time drifting in and out of consciousness left gaps in his mind. He felt like he was playing back a damaged film, one second there, another second soundless, another moment stuttering and incomplete.

Keith, grasping his arm – there was a look on his face that was soft, somehow. His lips, usually drawn in a straight line, had lifted slightly at the corners.

He'd said something to Lance, warm concern in his eyes. And Lance had responded, but the words were gone now. The only thing that remained was the feeling he'd had: something molten pouring through the cracks in his soul, filling the empty spaces.

It hadn't quite healed _everything_ – no, something inside of him had broken the day Am'lei died, something that would never be fixed. But it'd been a start.

For the first time, Lance realized, he'd _truly_ felt like he'd belonged, if for a moment.

Before that, Pidge's yelling echoed in his mind. Her defiance, her strength – _that_ he remembered clearly.

A phantom pain began to haunt him just below his left eye. There was a line there that had sunken in just slightly; he touched it with shaking hands.

Sendak.

"Lance," Shiro started quietly; he looked hesitant, but there were questions next to the shadows in his eyes. His heart missed a beat, then seemed to stop for a moment.

He knew.

Shiro _knew._

The lethargy that had fallen over him vanished. Lance woke up fully then, the blurred edges of the dream-world sharpening.

"Lance," Shiro said, using that same calm tone, like he was a scared animal.

Lance hated it. Lance hated being treated like someone who would break just like that, with a tap against the glass. He hated that he _was_ , that he'd become a frightened thing pressing his hands up to the spider-webbed surface and shaking.

"You're…" started Shiro, his brow furrowed as he trailed off. His throat bobbed when he swallowed. "You…"

Lance wrapped his arms around himself and shivered.

"He… he wasn't lysing," he murmured. "Sendak wasn't lying. But…"

 _But I was._

"I'm sorry."

"You're Altean," was Shiro's only response. He looked troubled; he didn't turn to face Lance, instead opting to stare at his prosthetic arm, the metal reflecting a faint blue.

Lance pressed his lips together and nodded, even though he knew Shiro wasn't looking. He couldn't bring himself to speak. His eyes prickled, and Lance clenched his jaw, willing the tears away.

"Talin Forsune," Shiro pondered, but it wasn't directed at Lance.

He flinched.

"Was that… really your name?"

Lance cleared his throat a couple times, trying to cough out half-baked explanations.

"Um, yeah," he said, quickly adding, "but… you can still— I mean, you can call me Lance. Both work."

When Shiro didn't respond, Lance snapped his mouth shut.

"He said you were the Blue Paladin."

 _"_ _Champion," Sendak boomed, sweeping an arm out towards Lance. "May I introduce to you Talin Forsune, the Blue Paladin."_

 _He chuckled. "Zarkon will be pleased when I bring you to him."_

Lance considered his next words carefully.

"I… am," he said, voice quiet. "And I have been for a very, very long time."

Shiro glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Lance wondered what he was waiting for. It felt like they were playing some sort of children's game, dancing around what they wanted to say; neither of them wanted to say it first.

"So you're—" Shiro said, then stopped.

Lance dug his short nails into his palm, the jagged ends rough against his skin. He swallowed against his dry throat.

"I'm," he said, but he couldn't finish it.

Shiro waited patiently, but Lance found tension in his hunched shoulders and the thin line of his mouth.

"Altean," he choked out. "I'm Altean."

The words were foreign to him — _alien_ , even.

Lance wasn't sure he could call himself that anymore, not really. He hadn't stepped foot on Altean soil in millennia now, nor had he swum in Aestusi waters. If anything, Earth was more of a home to him than anywhere – but still, there was no place for him on Earth.

He lifted a hand in front of his face, then his other, studied the dark skin and the lines that ran along them.

 _You'll find your way home_ , Mama had always said.

"You were one of them, weren't you?" Shiro said, fitting the puzzle pieces he'd been given together. "One of the former paladins?"

 _Like Zarkon_ hung in the air between them.

Lance wet his lips. "Yeah."

"Why?" Shiro asked suddenly, turning to him and pinning Lance with a heavy gaze. "Why lie to us? Why didn't you tell us?"

He closed his eyes.

"I…"

What could he say? How could he look Shiro in the eye and tell him that he hadn't ever trusted them enough?

When he didn't say anything, Shiro spoke.

"When I was—" he paused, then continued. "When I was in the ring, they pitted me against other prisoners. Gladiators. If you didn't fight, you were taken from the arena and—"

He stopped, but his eyes flickered briefly to his arm. Lance didn't need to hear more to know what they'd done to him.

"You," started Lance, but his voice cracked. "You didn't have to tell me that."

Shiro's gaze didn't waver.

"I wanted to," he said simply, though Lance had a feeling there was still more to the story, things that he would never share.

"Thank you," Lance said finally.

Shiro smiled – a brief, fleeting thing, but it'd been a smile nonetheless.

"When I was younger," he started, "Zarkon was my hero. He was… I know it's almost unimaginable, but he really was a good person – and a great leader. He always knew what to say, always knew what to do. And he… he called himself my brother."

Lance hated himself for tearing up, but he couldn't help it. He blinked against the tears, then took a moment trying not to cry.

It didn't work nearly as well as he would've liked.

His lips trembled; he pressed a hand over them and muffled the sound before it could pass his mouth.

"I'm sorry," he said again, passing his jacket sleeve over his eyes. "I…"

"Lance…"

A hesitant arm slid around his shoulder.

"Lance," Shiro said, and Lance flung himself into tentative arms that snaked across his back.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Shiro just hummed and held him. A heartbeat later, he felt a hand run through his hair, the touch soft. It wasn't much, really – just a hug – but Lance had forgotten how _nice_ it felt to just be held.

"I've got you, Lance," Shiro said.

He pressed his face to Shiro's shoulder and hiccupped, his wet eyes drying.

"I'm sorry," he said, and this time, his voice cracked.

"You don't have to be sorry," Shiro said, hand still in Lance's hair. "I think I would've done the same thing. It's okay. You don't have to be sorry."

Lance made a noise.

"I know," Shiro said, and his voice was heavier than the weight on his shoulders. "I know, Lance, I know."

"I lied to you."

"And you still told me the truth," he replied.

Lance shook his head, but he didn't move. Shiro seemed reluctant to as well, so Lance let himself stay there for another moment.

He pulled himself away, looking at the floor.

"Thank you, Shiro," he said.

Shiro's mouth lifted into a smile.

"Thank you, Lance," he responded. Lance tried to smile back.

He felt tired, as if a couple of hours of cryosleep weren't enough to keep the tiredness at bay.

Shiro seemed to notice, too.

"Here," he said, reaching over his shoulder and tugging a thick blanket over. He wrapped it around Lance before he could protest.

"I'll get you some food goo," Shiro said, getting up and putting a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Unless you—"

"Thank you," he murmured, and Shiro studied him for a moment then nodded.

"I'll leave you alone for a bit," he said finally. "Do you want me to tell the others?"

He must've seen the panic in Lance's face.

"That you're awake," Shiro amended. "About you… well, you know. That's your story to tell, Lance, not mine."

When Lance said nothing, Shiro slipped out of the room, his footsteps quiet. So he'd learned to be quiet, too – because staying quiet meant staying alive.

It wasn't long before someone else took his place. Lance looked up and found Coran standing in the entryway.

"Mind if I sit for a bit?" he asked, not surprised in the least that Lance was awake.

He shrugged, even though a part of him really did want to be alone, and patted the empty spot Shiro had just vacated.

"Sure."

"I… heard some of your conversation," Coran said, guilt in his eyes. "Not much, but…"

"Enough," sighed Lance.

He was too tired to be angry; where the anger should have been was only a deep, empty well.

"I shouldn't have listened," Coran said. "I'm sorry."

"No," said Lance. "It's alright."

There was nothing left he could hide from Coran, anyway.

"Lance," Coran began, tugging at his mustache. He reached forwards and grasped Lance's hands in his own. "I want to thank you."

" _Me_?" Lance asked. "For— for what?"

Coran leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together so Lance could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"You saved my life," he said. "You did that without even hesitating for a moment, without even thinking of yourself. Thank you."

"I… I would do it again if I had to."

"Really, my boy," Coran said, pulling back. "You… that was truly an act of courage and selflessness."

Courage? Selflessness? On the list of things Lance would've described himself as, those weren't anywhere near the top.

Before he could say anything, Shiro came back in, balancing a couple of plates in his arms. He'd brought three and was somehow managing to hold onto some water pouches. Coran hurried to help him.

"Thanks," Lance said when he was passed a plate of food goo and a pouch. He chugged down the water, cold lining his throat. Then he dug in, shoveling food goo into his mouth like there was no tomorrow.

It wasn't a gourmet meal by any means, but Lance was starving. He had his plate finished in what felt like minutes.

"The others are worried, you know," Shiro said, spooning a mouthful of food goo into his mouth. "I had to talk to them for forever until they all took a break."

"Oh," Lance said, pausing as he drank more water.

"Ah, yes," Coran said. "I should tell the others you're awake."

Lance got up, the blanket around his shoulders pooling on the floor.

"We might as well go to the dining hall," he said. "Meet the others there, I guess."

Shiro leapt up.

"I'll round up the others," he offered. Lance held a hand out for his empty plate so he could take it.

Coran filled him in on the way. He told Lance everything that he'd missed – which had been a lot. How Sendak had shut down the Castle by destroying the main crystal, and the events that came after.

He and Hunk had gone to the nearest Balmera to retrieve a battleship-class crystal, which was a hard feat in itself.

"So we're going there?" Lance clarified, pausing by the door.

"Right-o," Coran said as the door opened. They strolled in casually.

The rest of the story was put together by a mix of his memories and what Coran knew.

The taking of the Castle, something Lance remembered in vivid detail. How Keith and Allura had been lured away from it by a false threat in the Arusian village, leaving Shiro and Lance behind. Pidge, who'd stayed hidden in the vents as Sendak had kept them as prisoners.

Some of the events and the final fight were still blurry.

"Wait, let me get this right," Lance said, refilling his plate. "So I... I did what?"

Coran took a seat cheerfully, and Lance followed suit.

"I'm not sure how you did it," Coran said. "Though I do have an idea... well, anyway, you managed to wake long enough during the fight to get a shot in at Sendak. Almost took his arm right off!"

Lance frowned. "I... I don't remember this at all."

The more he reached, the less he got.

He remembered the feeling of his bayard in his hand but not the shot itself. The sounds of a fight. And that same memory again, of Keith smiling at him. The feeling was familiar, somehow, though Lance couldn't figure out why.

"Wow," he said, sitting back. "Sounds like a wild ride. Glad I was out for most of it."

"Lance!"

There was a shout, and Lance looked up to see Hunk for just a second before his friend barreled into him. Lance pressed his face into Hunk's chest and tried to breathe, but it was kind of hard to with Hunk's hug.

"Hey, buddy," Lance said, patting Hunk's arm. "Good to see you, too."

"He lives," Pidge said, socking his arm the moment Hunk pulled away. "You idiot."

"What did I do?" he asked, throwing his arms in the air.

"Uh, you got yourself blown up, remember?" Keith cut in. "Though I guess you must've lost a couple brain cells in the process. Less than you had, huh?"

"Keith," Shiro said, rolling his eyes.

"Aw, come on, mullet," Lance said. "From what I heard, I did a lot more butt-kicking than you, and I was, like, in a coma!"

This - this was comfortable, this easy camaderie between all of them. Lance felt like he was settling, finally.

 _Funny_ , Lance thought to himself. _It'd only taken a couple of near-death experiences. Nothing out of the norm._

"Hey, I did plenty!" Keith huffed. "And we had a bonding moment, Lance! I cradled you in my arms!"

"Hmm," Lance said dismissively. "Nope, don't remember."

Keith, grasping his arm. A shared smile. A flicker of a thought that Lance hadn't remembered until now - _Am'lei_ \- though he couldn't remember what exactly he'd been thinking. He flinched.

The way Keith had looked at him in the first second, a beat of raw fear before it faded into a softer concern when Lance had responded - it was like looking in a mirror. He'd held Am'lei, too.

"Didn't happen," Lance said weakly. "So, like, what happened to Sendak?"

Allura stepped up. "We're keeping him in a cryopod here in the Castle."

Lance shuddered visibly and felt concerned eyes dart to him.

"Is that… is that a good idea?"

There were only seven people there, but the hair on the back of Lance's neck rose. A tingle ran down his spine, and he thought he felt another presence for a moment.

Something else, neither human nor Altean.

"We can't set him free," Allura pointed out, and Lance had to agree with that. "And with the memory extraction… we'll be able to get some information about Zarkon and his plans."

Lance shivered again, though the presence seemed to retreat for a moment.

 _Biding their time_ , he thought, and clenched his fists under the table.

"What's next?"

"Good question," Shiro said.

"We _have_ to go back to the Balmera," Hunk insisted, a hard edge to his voice that Lance had heard very rarely. "We owe a lot to Shay and her people. I said I'd go back for them, and I will."

Shiro nodded. "And we'll be with you, no doubt about that."

Lance wiggled his eyebrows. "Shay, huh?"

Hunk turned pink. "It's not like that, Lance. Look, guys... the way Zarkon treats the Balmerans is horrible. He's destroyed their home and kept them as- as slaves! There are Balmerans out there who have never grown up under Zarkon's rule. They don't know freedom at all."

Lance bit his lip hard.

"Shay's never seen the sky," Hunk said quietly. "We have to make this right. This is- I realized something. This is what being a paladin really means."

His chest swelled with pride, the feeling burning through him brightly. While he'd been captured, Hunk had found in himself a purpose for fighting the Galra, and he'd obviously learned through the experience.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Shiro said, and there was pride in his eyes, too. "Let's get moving, team."

"Activate interlock," Allura called.

Lance watched as the Castle sprung back to life. It was comforting, seeing the soft blue lights on the screen instead of a dark purple like from Lance's nightmares.

"Dynotherms connected."

"Mega-thrusters are go."

"We are ready to depart Planet Arus on your mark, Princess."

"Firing main engines for launch."

They gathered together, and despite himself, Lance gasped when the Castle began to move. Far, far away, he could see the Arusians in a crowd watching them leave.

"Alright!" Pidge cried, eyes sparkling as he ran around the hull like an excited kid. "Man, you weren't lying when you called this a Castleship. Too bad Matt isn't here. He would've loved this shit."

"Language," Shiro said, but he shared a secretive smile with Pidge. Lance felt like he was missing out on some sort of joke.

"Okay, so what's the plan?" Hunk asked. "Like, what do we do? I mean, obviously, we're going back and all, but then what? Do we just, like, go straight in with guns blazing? Oh, what if we landed and just made a PSA with, like, a giant megaphone. Attention, Galra-"

"Attention, Galra," Keith mimcked. "Stop being dicks, and turn yourselves in."

"Language," Shiro barked again, and Lance had to stifle his laughter.

Keith caught his eye, and Lance laughed out loud.

"So, blasting, right?" Hunk continued.

"Are you humans always this excited?" Coran asked, watching as Hunk rambled on in amusement. Lance reached out blindly and patted Coran's arm.

"Chill, Hunk," said Keith. "And yeah, of course we're blasting them."

"Eh," Shiro said, responding to Coran. "It's his first big mission. He's just a little excited."

Pidge snickered, elbowing Lance.

"Yeah, _excited._ "

Lance caught on and smirked. "Excited to see his _girlfriend_ —"

"Shut up, you two," Hunk cried.

"Aw, Hunk," said Pidge, dramatically, laying a hand over his heart. "You're just in denial."

"Look, I just… admire her a lot, okay? And I've always wanted to talk to rocks."

Lance snorted.

"Okay," Pidge sang. "Sounds fake, but _okay_."

Allura sighed, about to reprimand them when alarms began to blare. It wasn't the usual _hey-the-Galra-are-attacking_ sound but a different one, lower in pitch.

"Oh," Lance muttered to himself.

"What's going on? Is it an attack?" Shiro asked, back straightening.

"It's a distress beacon," Allura answered, pulling up a map. "It's coming from this moon, see?"

Sure enough, on a nearby moon, a red light was flashing.

 _POWER OUT. HELP. POWER OUT. HELP._

The message repeated over and over again; Allura, without saying a word, immediately changed their destination. Coran hurried to help her, monitoring the screen and plugging in a series of commands.

"Wait, what?" Hunk cried. "What are you doing? We should go the Balmera first — they need our help."

"So does whoever sent out this distress beacon," Allura replied, every bit of the princess she was. "You spoke earlier of being a paladin. As a part of the Paladin's Code, we must help all those in need, regardless of situation."

Hunk drew himself up to protest but finally conceded.

The Castle of the Lions sped towards the moon, a small, silvery sphere in the distance. Lance watched them draw closer before leaving to get his armor on. It was time to start living up to his title.

* * *

 **That was fun, wasn't it?**

 _achieving elysium_


	15. Chapter 15

**familiar _  
_** _chapter fifteen_

* * *

Lance tried to keep his mouth shut. He really did. It wasn't the time to make jokes, but it was hard.

"What, Lance?" Shiro asked after Lance had snuck a glance at his serious face for the fourth time.

"It's just," he started, waving his arms in the air. "We're like, space cops! I mean, don't you see it?"

Pidge snorted but made a face.

"Space patrol," he mused.

Lance snapped his fingers together. "Exactly, my small friend."

Keith laughed when Pidge lunged in his direction, bayard out. Lance dodged, his steps light as he danced out of the way and stuck his tongue out.

" _Guys,_ " Shiro said in a warning tone.

"So, Coran," Lance continued, moving next to the man. "Do we have any sirens? I mean, police cars are _great_ , but like, they probably have nothing on a Castleship."

Coran raised an eyebrow but indulged him.

"Don't think so," he said, then patted Lance's shoulder. "Though if you'd like, I'm sure we could record you making a siren sound and then playing that."

" _No,_ " the other paladins chorused. He grinned at them and started wailing as loud as he could, enjoying the way they cringed. It was good to lighten the mood before a mission, he'd learned.

Coran continued on as if Lance wasn't screaming in his ear, but even Allura was wincing at this point.

"Nope. No. Not happening," Shiro said, his voice strained as he stuck a hand over Lance's mouth. For a moment, he briefly considered licking Shiro's hand, but he figured it was a _bit_ too weird.

"Quiet, please," Allura said finally, and the smile on Lance's face faded. "Preparing to land."

"Yes, Princess."

"Intercom?"

"Turning it on."

Allura steered the Castle until they landed next to another ship, far smaller but still quite large, definitely bigger than Blue.

"Attention, damaged craft. I am Princess Allura, and we are here to assist you."

Off the intercom, she added, "Coran, I want you to stay and try to draw out any remaining energy from the Galran crystal. It's bound to have done some damage."

Coran nodded. "Yes, Princess."

As they walked out, Lance saw two aliens waiting for them, standing by their ship. The first one, dark purple and dressed in a standard vest and pants, waved.

"Nice ship," he called, then strode forward and stuck a hand out to Shiro, who was in the front. "The name's Rolo."

His partner smiled at them, then caught Lance's eye.

"It's good to see some friendly faces," she called, and he drifted closer.

"Yeah," Rolo said. "Most folks won't stop by to lend a hand – not for anyone on the run from the Galra."

"You're against the Galra?" asked Keith, leaning forward. "Fighting them?"

Rolo shrugged, sticking what looked like a twig in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

"Not much we can do, to be honest," he replied. "But we try."

"Is that a _robot_?" Pidge asked excitedly, darting over to the small, mechanical shape Lance hadn't noticed earlier. He poked at it and let out a delighted laugh. " _Cool._ "

"That's Beezer."

"Ship damaged in a fight?" Shiro questioned, running a critical eye over the ship. Lance gave it a once-over, nothing all the different parts, though he wasn't an engineer for a reason.

"Yeah," the alien next to Lance piped up. "The Galra know how to kick butt."

She and Rolo exchanged a look.

"If you hadn't come," Rolo started, frowning. "I mean, we've been here for a while. If you hadn't come, I don't know what would've happened…"

"We're happy to help," Allura said firmly.

"So, what's wrong with the ship?" Hunk asked. His words were friendly enough, but his tone was almost cold. The red flags in Lance's mind rose.

Rolo launched into a long-winded explanation that made his brain tired. He and Hunk began talking, though the uneasy look on Hunk's face didn't quite go away.

"Here," Rolo said. "I've drawn up a list of some parts we need. Do you think you've got some of them in that ship of yours?"

Hunk took the list, eyeing it before nodding.

"Allura?"

"Yes," Allura said. "Coran is still on board. He'll help you find the parts."

Rolo brightened and made to go up, but Hunk stuck an arm in front of him.

"Nuh uh," he said. "You're not going alone. No way."

"Hunk," Allura sighed. "Don't be rude. We need to help them."

"Yeah," Pidge added, but he seemed distracted by Beezer. Rover flew around the both of them, beeping in interest.

"Yeah, yeah," said Hunk. "But... I mean. Sorry. I really don't mean to be rude."

He was sincere about it; Lance could see it in his face.

"I just... don't you guys remember the last time we let down our defenses? That was like, yesterday!" Hunk said, gesturing with an arm towards Lance. "Like, our crystal blew up, we got stuck out of the Castle, and Lance almost died."

He winced at the reminder, though the thought kicked up a storm inside of him.

"Good point," he said quietly, glancing at the two aliens they were helping.

"Hunk's right," Shiro said finally, his tone decisive. "I'm sorry, but we have to be cautious."

"Sure," Rolo said easily. "I get that. We haven't really done anything to get you to trust us. That's just how it is these days."

"Thanks for understanding," said Hunk, smiling, but he looked nervous. He snatched the list from Rolo's hand and hurried up towards the bridge, not looking back once. Lance frowned at his back.

"So, beautiful," he said, turning to Rolo's partner. "What's your name?"

She giggled. "I don't mind if you keep calling me that. I'm Nyma."

Lance took her hand, bowing at the waist and kissing it. He straightened out and winked at her.

"The name's Lance," he said, "and I'm the Blue Paladin of Voltron."

Nyma raised an eyebrow. "Voltron?"

"You know," he prompted. "Giant robot? Made up of five lions?"

Rolo hummed thoughtfully. "Can't say I've heard of it."

"Probably haven't been around long enough," Shiro piped up, "but we're fighting against Zarkon, too."

"Oh," Nyma said softly. "There's not many brave or foolish enough to do that."

"So which one are you?" Rolo asked, looking right at Lance. "Brave? Or foolish?"

He shrugged and answered truthfully.

"Both, I think."

Nyma laughed. "Good answer, pretty boy."

He winked in her direction again. "So you think I'm pretty, huh?"

Lance couldn't help himself. She really was beautiful; her eyes were dark, like the night sky. There was something mysterious in the air around her, something alluring that made him want to figure out what exactly ran in her head.

And, if Lance was being honest, he hadn't gotten the chance to flirt with anyone in a while. He missed it, as stupid as it sounded.

"Oh, definitely," Nyma said. "And you must be strong, too, huh?"

He flexed an arm. "My bayard isn't the only gun I've got."

She laughed. It made his insides warm. It was a nice feeling, this easy, fun flirting, though it'd lead to nothing - maybe a kiss if he was lucky, maybe a secret if he was super lucky. He'd always flirted for fun, anyway.

"Lance," Shiro said, his tone patronizing, and he rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Yes, Shiro," he drawled, making a face. Nyma laughed again.

"Here," Hunk called before Lance could say another word. He was carrying a large box filled with spare parts he and Coran must have managed to scavenge.

"Hmm?" Rolo said, looking distracted. He was admiring the Castle, eyeing its tall spires and the beautiful glow surrounding it.

"You know," said Hunk. "To fix your ship."

"Right," Rolo replied, shaking himself out of whatever stupor he'd been in. "Let's see if they fit, yeah?"

"So," said Lance, smiling at Nyma. "What are you two doing way out here?"

Nyma shrugged. "We're actually not really fighters. We're traders by nature - we just work with some, ah, interesting clients to sell supplies."

Lance raised an eyebrow.

Interesting clients...

"Hey, Shiro, can you come lend a hand?"

"Sure, guys."

Lance eyed the others. Allura was watching the three men as they worked on the damaged ship and, more importantly, questioning Rolo to see what he knew about Zarkon. Pidge, unsurprisingly, was still messing around with Beezer, fascinated by technology he'd probably never seen before. With everyone busy, that left Lance and Nyma alone.

"A Lion, huh?" Nyma asked, leaning in just a bit closer.

He nodded. "The best."

In the back of his mind, Blue rumbled in agreement. He smiled at the thought of his favorite girl.

"So," Lance said, copying Nyma's earlier tone. "A trader, huh? You must go everywhere, then."

"Oh, sure," she said. "I've been lots of places."

He sighed.

"Wish I could."

"Hmm," Nyma hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe one day we can go somewhere together."

"Is that a date?"

"Sure, pretty boy."

"Alright, beautiful," Lance said, grinning despite himself. His face felt warm.

"Hey, so what kinds of things do you trade?"

Nyma waved a hand dismissively.

"Anything and everything," she said. "If you've got things good enough to trade, we'll take it. There's a use for everything, believe it or not."

"And so one man's trash is another man's treasure," Lance murmured to himself, thinking of the Earthern phrase he'd learned.

"It's true," Nyma agreed.

"Can I see some of your stuff?"

The alien raised an eyebrow.

"Interested in a trade?" she asked, linking their arms together and smiling brightly. "There's some items I think you'll like."

"Sure," said Lance easily as they boarded Rolo and Nyma's ship. They paused for a moment, and Lance leaned against the wall next to her.

"A kiss, maybe?"

She blushed but darted forward, pressing her lips to his cheek.

"You can have that for free," she sang, and he laughed.

"Thanks, babe."

"Come on."

She hadn't been lying when she'd told him they traded anything and everything. Lance saw spare parts, from bigger things that would go on a ship to smaller pieces that looked more fit for machinery. He poked around boxes and found clothing, well-spun, the fabric soft between his fingers. Jewelry; Lance admired a necklace and laid it flat against his exposed neck.

"What do you think?"

She smiled. "Looking good."

Nyma talked him through some of their other things. They carried a lot of miscelaneous things that didn't seem to belong in the same room: plants, office supplies, weapons. Everything Lance could think of, they had.

Lance opened a box and peeked in.

"What's this?" he asked, lifting out a small, cube-like thing. It was white in color and not quite a perfect cube, but it was sleek. It did look a bit dated, though; this tech was definitely not Galra.

"Hmm? Oh, that," Nyma said, coming to stand next to him. Their shoulders brushed, and his skin tingled.

"What is it?"

"Here," Nyma said, taking the cube from his hands. "I'll show you."

On the other side, she pressed something he hadn't noticed. It looked like a small crystal, dark blue in color. The crystal began to glow; Lance watched, fascinated, as the top of the cube split slightly to display a holographic screen.

"A recorder," he said, delighted. He'd lost his own – the one that could record both sights and sounds. Team Voltron used to carry them around, the recordings useful for any information or up for Zarkon to analyze. Made smaller and attached to their helmets, the paladins could record just about everything that happened.

"Oh, not just that," Nyma said, tapping the side and grinning. "You're right about one bit. You can record with it, sure, but this one's got some extra features I bet you haven't seen."

"Show me," Lance pressed.

"Alright," she said, relenting. "It's called a memory cube. Not everyone uses these anymore - they're a little big, and they're kind of dangerous in the wrong hands, so… well."

"A memory cube?" Lance asked, pursing his lips. "Can't say I've heard of it."

"Really? They've been around since forever."

He chuckled darkly. "I've been a little... out of touch with the universe until recently."

Out of touch wasn't even covering it. His time on Earth had made him anxious, always looking up at the stars and wondering what was happening out there. Out here.

"Well," Nyma said. "It's like a memory core, but a lot smaller. You can store your memories in it."

"Oh, I see," he said, taking it out of her hands. "Do you just..."

"Press the crystal," Nyma explained. "And then you bring up the memory and hold it in your mind for a while. It'll copy your memory and store it for you."

"I can see why it's dangerous," he said carefully, eyeing the recorder. "But I guess it's gotta be pretty useful, too, huh?"

A place to store memories, a place where he could revisit them when he needed to. No mindmeld helmets, no one digging around in his head...

"Interested?"

Nyma's eyes sparkled.

"Hmm," he said, playing along. "This old thing? Come on."

"Oh, I don't know," Nyma said. "We've got a lot of junk lying around."

They went like that for a couple more minutes, drawing out prices Lance couldn't pay and talking in circles. Trading was an art, and Nyma knew it well - but so did he.

"Maybe," Lance said after a while, pocketing the recorder as Nyma watched. "I guess I can offer you something."

"Really?"

"I'm not paying for this," Lance said, choosing his words carefully and gauging the expression on Nyma's face. "I think there's something you might have that would prove a little more... valuable to me."

"Oh?"

She lifted a beautiful crafted dagger and twirled it around. Lance caught her wrist and lowered it.

"I'm looking for something a little different."

She seemed to catch on, something sparking in her eyes. But Nyma was still cautious. The ground they stood on was shaky.

Outside, Lance heard the distant sound of Hunk's voice, followed by Rolo's. The two of them seemed to be arguing; soon enough, Shiro's voice joined the fray.

"Let's go somewhere quieter, huh?" he asked, offering her his arm.

Nyma took it, resting her hand in the crook of his elbow.

"Lead the way."

They crept out of the ship. Surprisingly, no one noticed; they were too absorbed in their own work to see Lance and Nyma pass by.

"What about this for a trade?" he murmured, keeping his voice low. He pressed closer to her and was pleasantly surprised to see a blush spread across her face.

"What?" she replied, matching his volume.

"Let's get out of here for a bit, shall we?"

She blinked up at him.

"Your crew members... the big one won't like that."

She had a good point; he had to give her that. Hunk wouldn't like what he was about to offer. Neither would Shiro or Allura.

Actually, just about everyone he knew would tell him it was a bad idea, but Lance did it anyway.

"Come on," he said, flashing her a winning smile. "It'll just be you and me, going out for a spin, chatting for a little bit. We'll be back before they even know we're gone. Sounds nice, yeah?"

"It does sound nice," Nyma admitted.

"What are we waiting for, then?" Lance asked, tugging at her wrist.

Coran was nowhere to be found when they entered on the bridge. He and Nyma snuck through the halls, though their laughter would've given them away to anyone looking for them. Lance felt like he was back at the Garrison again with Pidge and Hunk, sneaking around after hours for a late-night snack or to go out for some fun. It was an exhilerating and exciting feeling.

"How do you get to the hangars?" Nyma asked.

He smirked at her. "You'll see."

A moment later, they were flying in the direction of Blue's hangar. He gripped to the handhold with a hand and wrapped his other arm around Nyma. Pressed against his chest, Lance could feel her soft breath on his neck.

They reached the hangar in no time at all.

Paladin, Blue greeted, and he smiled up at her.

"Oh," Nyma said, her voice full of awe. He snuck a glance in her direction and found her eyes wide as she stared at Blue. "This is- I thought... when you said... This is incredible."

"Yeah," Lance agreed. "She sure is."

Blue chuffed, the sound one of agreement. He laughed.

"She appreciates it," he told her.

Blue lowered her head to greet them, nudging him towards her mentally, and he looked back to find Nyma still gaping.

"Hurry up," he called over his shoulder. "You can't stand there forever. We're going flying."

Nyma stood at his shoulder as he settled in. The pilot's chair slid forward, and he placed his hands comfortably on the controls. In front of them, the dashboard lit up.

"Amazing," Nyma breathed. Lance patted the controls.

"Definitely," he said, pride swelling in his chest. "Now, let's go."

They burst from the hangar, the Castle opening to let them out. Blue flew past Rolo and Nyma's ship, the red-and-silver pattern gleaming in the low light.

Blue suddenly banked to the left sharply, leaving Nyma to tumble into his lap. He blushed but grinned.

"Hey, beautiful," he said. "Falling for me?"

She laughed. "That was terrible."

"Oh, come on," Lance said. "You laughed."

Nyma rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

"How fast can she go?"

"Fast," was his only reply. He leaned forward as Blue did, following her movements as she accelerated. The rocks around them blurred at the edges.

They flew low over a lake, purple waters spraying up as Blue let her paws run through them. She purred, content, her happiness echoing through the bond.

"That way," Nyma said, her voice a little breathless. "We went exploring while we were stuck here. There's a little bank over there with a beautiful view of some of the nearby planets and moons."

"As you wish," he said, steering Blue in the direction Nyma was pointing. His Lion landed gently, and Lance grinned.

Nyma was the first one out, stepping onto the rocky bank of the lake and stretching her arms out. Lance followed suit, patting Blue's snout as he passed.

They stood together for a while, looking out at the view. Nyma put her head on his shoulder and slipped her hand in his.

"Thank you," she told him. "Okay, I'll bite. That was worth a trade. What do you want?"

"I told you," Lance said. "I want something valuable."

"Don't we all?" Nyma asked, sighing. She led him over to a nearby tree, and the two of them leaned on its sturdy trunk. Lance studied Nyma.

He hummed to himself. This opportunity was just what Lance needed - just what the team needed. Traders could go almost everywhere, even with Zarkon breathing down their backs. Lance was willing to bet even some of the Galra traded with people like Rolo and Nyma, probably not quite authorized by officials but too important to shut away.

"Alright," he said finally. "Here's what I want, Nyma."

She cocked her head to the side, and Lance pulled out the recorder from his pocket, toying with it.

"Let's hear it."

Lance smiled grimly. "I want a promise."

Immediately, Nyma's expression changed.

"A favor?" she asked, and he nodded, not letting his expression change. "For what?"

The comms unit on her vest suddenly beeped, interrupting and surprising both of them. Lance blinked.

Nyma lifted her collar higher.

"Rolo? What is it?"

Lance turned back to look at Blue. She'd opted to go back to the water, though she wasn't in very deep.

Happy?

She hummed back, pleased to be in her element.

"What's up?" Lance asked after the conversation had seemed to end.

Nyma looked regretful – sad, even. His guard went up, but it was too late.

Before he could react, she slammed him into the tree. His head knocked backwards; there was the sound of ringing in his ears as Nyma tore the helmet off of him and tossed it to the ground, out of reach.

"I'm sorry," she told him. There was the sound of something activating, and Lance found himself chained to the tree by a small band.

Nyma stopped in front of him.

"I really am sorry," she told him, and Lance knew in that moment she was being truthful.

"Nyma?"

"That favor," she said hesitantly, her eyes darting to the sky. "It's a fair trade. If we meet again, Lance, if you need it… I'll be there."

They stared at each other for a moment, Lance still reeling in shock and confusion. The pieces were starting to come together, though. He understood what she was doing. Hated it, but understood.

The sound of a ship caught his attention.

Nyma nodded once and then turned to leave him behind.

"Blue," he said, then repeated it. " _Blue._ "

"I'm sorry," Nyma said again, then paused. She darted back towards him, fishing a small device out of her pocket and tucking it into a fold in his armor. "Here."

Lance tugged against his chains, hopelessness stirring in his gut as the ship opened above his Lion.

 _PALADIN._

" _Blue!_ "

 _LANCE._

" _Blue!_ "

Before him, Nyma disappeared into thin air. Lance tugged at his chain again, his frustration and fear giving way to tears that ran down his face.

" _Blue_ ," he said again, watching as the one thing he'd always had was taken away from him.


	16. Chapter 16

**familiar** _  
chapter sixteen_

* * *

Lance didn't know what to do. Panic overtook his mind and made him senseless, any and all thoughts thrown out the window.

"Blue! Blue!"

Her response was faint, a quiet noise, but it was enough to settle the storm slightly. He needed to calm down, to think.

Nearby, light glistened off his helmet, catching his eye. Lance bit his lip and muttered a curse, trying to reach out but ultimately failing. It was too far away.

Breathe. Think. Think.

Lance pressed his side against the tree and used his leg to pull his helmet closer, grimacing the entire time.

"Don't worry, Blue," he muttered. "I'm gonna get you back."

The fear began to give way to determination - and a blinding fury that tore through his body. He wanted Blue back.

"Hey," he yelled, and found his voice strong if a little hoarse. "Anyone there?"

Hunk's voice was distant and tinny as he called, "Lance?"

If Lance hadn't already been crying, he would've burst into tears right then and there.

"Hunk!" he called. "My guy, my man. Um, I could use a little help?"

" _Lance, what's going on? What's wrong?_ "

He winced, glancing at his restraints.

"Uh," he said, clearing his throat and managing to wipe at his face. "I'm kind of chained to a tree."

" _Kinky_ ," said Pidge.

" _I knew it!_ " Hunk cried, then paused and added, " _About there being trouble, I mean. You're not kinky. Are you?_ "

" _Hunk, not the time_ ," said Shiro.

"Uh, is it the time to tell you Rolo and Nyma took Blue?" Lance asked, but his voice cracked in the middle of the sentence.

" _I knew it_ ," Hunk said again. " _I knew those two were up to no good. I mean-_ "

" _Hunk. We know. Chill._ "

" _Lance, do you know where they are?_ "

Lance squinted at the sky and the dark shape that was flying further and further away.

In the blink of an eye, the ship was nothing more than a shadow, a dark smudge in between the stars.

"Can someone come get me?"

" _Don't worry, Lance_ ," said Shiro. " _We'll get Blue back_."

" _Can I punch someone in the face?_ "

Pidge snorted. " _Um, yourself?_ "

He frowned. "Rude."

"Wait," Lance started, "I- we can track them."

" _Everyone to your Lions_ ," Shiro ordered. " _We're going after them_."

" _Track them?_ " asked Pidge.

"I, uh," he started, thinking of the communicator. His anger faded slightly. Even now, after they'd taken his Lion, that was something he wanted to keep a secret for a little while.

" _Let's go_!"

He listened to their conversation, wincing when they hit an asteroid belt and couldn't get through.

"Great," he muttered. "My only hope is _Keith._ "

It wasn't that Lance didn't think Keith was capable. He was more than capable, of course; he'd been top of the pilot class. But watching Keith run laps around him was disheartening.

Lance swallowed down the acidic taste in his mouth. It hadn't been easy, getting into the Garrison. It'd been luck they'd seen "potential" in him, a boy from the middle of nowhere who only knew a bit of English.

The rigorous classes weren't much help. Between trying to understand lectures going ten miles an hour and piloting ships so different and far less advanced than the ones he was used to pushed Lance to his limits. He was lost. Overwhelmed.

Unimportant.

The Blue Paladin, protector of the universe – reduced to a mess of a cargo pilot.

And Keith…

Keith had been so much better than him.

He'd made it look easy. Keith had been everything Lance was supposed to be – smart, unafraid, and ever burning. He was an Icarus, eyes on the sky, but his wings hadn't melted under the heat. They'd only grown stronger.

"I've got them," said Keith suddenly, the words low and dangerous.

Lance heard the unmistakable sound of Red's ion cannon, followed closely by Keith's laugh.

"Yeah!" he yelled, and Lance let himself smile.

"Close in," ordered Shiro. "Cut them off."

"Not like they can go much further," Pidge muttered, but Lance heard the Lions' victorious roars echoing around him.

"Hey, Lance," Keith called. "Got your Lion back."

He breathed a sigh of relief, the tension leaving him. Some of the fear drained away, but still some remained - it would stay locked in his chest until he and Blue were reunited.

"Aw," replied Lance. "Thanks, Keith. Now, uh, can someone come get me? I'm a little stuck."

" _Not it_ ," said Pidge.

" _Nope_ ," Keith called.

"Oh, come on," Lance cried. "You're the one who said we had a bonding moment, right? What happened to that, man?"

" _Hold on, you guys_ ," Shiro said, but there was a smile in his voice. " _Pidge, Keith - you two are gonna escort our, uh, friends over there back. Hunk, go to the Castle as backup. Lance, I'm coming for you_."

"Sounds ominous," Lance joked, but the effect was ruined by his crying. "Thanks, you guys."

" _We got you_ ," said Hunk. " _Bros forever_."

Lance laughed. He sat back against the tree, twisting in his hold so he was a bit more comfortable, though it didn't help much.

He didn't have to wait long; only moments later, the Black Lion landed in the water, eyes gleaming. Shiro stepped out, face serious.

"Lance!"

He wanted to wave but settled for calling back. "Shiro!"

Shiro came and knelt by the tree, raising an eyebrow when he saw the thin band that was wrapped tightly around Lance's wrists.

"Gotten yourself into quite the situation, have you?" Shiro asked. Lance couldn't tell if he was more amused or disappointed, but he decided he didn't like either of the options.

"Sorry."

Shiro didn't say anything, instead opting to put his human hand on Lance's shoulder.

"Hold still," he instructed, and Lance felt the cuff heat as Shiro cut through it. He leapt up the second Shiro was done, stretching out his arms and sighing in relief.

The walk back to Black was awkward. It was— embarrassing, to say the least. Lance tried not to look at Shiro, instead focusing on Black's presence. He curled up in a cramped seat in the back and rested his chin on his knees.

"I'm really sorry," Lance said quietly after a moment. "I... made a stupid mistake. I shouldn't have gone off with Nyma alone."

It was hard, swallowing his pride, but waiting in silence was harder.

"We all make mistakes," Shiro said finally, his voice firm. "You're right - you shouldn't have done that. But no one would've expected for this to happen, either."

"Yeah," he replied.

Shiro twisted to glance at him over his shoulder for a moment, then turned back.

"It's all a part of being human," he said, and then laughed. "Though I guess that's probably not a great thing to say."

Lance laughed, too. He was surprised to find himself comfortable in that moment, Shiro bringing up his heritage casually as if it really wasn't a big deal. Like he was no different for it.

 _Trust_ , said Blue suddenly into his mind, and Lance sat up straight, bracing his hand on the seat.

"Blue," he said aloud, his smile growing bigger. "My girl."

"Another minute," said Shiro, directing Black towards the ground. Looking out from the cockpit, Lance spotted the Castle first, its tall spires greeting him. Then Rolo and Nyma's ship, smoking as it sat, stagnant. A line of Lions waited for them; Lance's heart leapt in his throat as he scanned them.

There was Red, first, then Green, and Yellow, and—

 _Blue._

When Shiro landed, Lance hurriedly thanked him again before rushing outside to his Lion. She looked down at him and then curved to meet him.

"Blue," he said. _Blue._ "I'm sorry, girl, I'm so sorry."

He didn't care about the eyes on him as he cried, putting his hand on Blue's snout; the metal was cool to the touch, but underneath his palm was a warm rush of reassurance and forgiveness.

"Looks like your ship really is destroyed now," Keith said from somewhere behind him. He didn't sound sorry at all, and Lance turned to find him with his arms crossed over his chest and an unmerciful look on his face.

"Guess you'll have to wait for a rescue," Hunk continued, looking just as cross.

"Yeah," Pidge chimed in. "You won't be flying for a while with what Keith did."

Keith grinned. "Hope not."

Lance rolled his eyes. In front of them, Rolo and Nyma were surrounded, though they didn't look like they were going to run.

He was tempted to sink into an easy rage, but Lance batted it away. As terrible as they'd been, Rolo and Nyma still weren't as bad as the Galra. They didn't have to be enemies; Lance probably had enough of those already.

"So," he said. "You stole my Lion."

While Rolo looked away, Nyma met his gaze straight on. There was only regret in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she told him.

Lance nodded. "I know."

He tapped at his chest, where the communicator she'd given him was tucked away, sitting on his collarbone. He didn't say anything else, but she seemed to get the message.

"Can we do anything?" asked Rolo finally. "I mean..."

Lance shook his head.

"Shiro?" he asked, turning to their leader and then to Allura, standing nearby with her hands clasped. "Princess?"

It wasn't often he called Allura "princess." Those days were long gone, but Lance wasnted to make sure Rolo and Nyma knew just whom they were dealing with. A subtle warning.

"I understand why you did what you did," Allura said, tilting her head in acknowledgement. "That does not make it right. I think what Keith did to your ship is punishment enough."

Shiro nodded in agreement.

"Thank you for sparing us," said Rolo sincerely, bowing slightly. He suddenly looked weary. "It's a lifetime fighting against the Galra that lead us to this. Believe it or not… I hope you win against Zarkon."

Shiro looked sympathetic. "I understand."

The other paladins grumbled, but Lance found sympathy in their faces, too. They'd all seen what the Galra were capable of.

"Now that we're done here," Hunk said, turning towards the Castle. "Let's head out. We need to go back to the Balmera and Shay's people… they're counting on us."

Shiro jerked his head in the direction of the Castle.

"This day's not over yet," he agreed, and Pidge and Keith exchanged a look before heading to their Lions to bring them back to their hangars.

Lance lingered behind after the others had left, Blue as silent support at his back.

"Lance," Nyma greeted after a moment's hesitation.

"Nyma," he replied.

Rolo lifted his eyebrows thoughtfully. "What's this?"

"I meant what I said," Nyma told him. "A trade is a trade. Even if we did, well…"

Lance lifted the small communicator from where it'd been hidden in his armor, letting it lay flat in his hand. Nyma pulled out a matching one from her pocket.

He glanced back and made sure no one was around to hear the rest of their conversation. Blue shifted until she was blocking them from sight.

"I want information," he said, keeping his voice low. Rolo reeled back in shock, but Nyma remained calm and collected. "Reports. Anything you think is important, I want to know about it."

Lance tossed the communicator in the air and caught it as it came back down again. He leveled a cool gaze at Nyma.

"Name your price."

Nyma pursed her lips, obviously thinking about it. Tucked under his arm, Lance's helmet suddenly filled with sound.

" _Lance, you coming_?"

He lifted it up to answer. "Yeah. Just, uh… double-checking stuff with Blue, no worries."

Lance switched comms off, hoping Team Voltron hadn't heard anything, but he hadn't had his channel open anyway.

"Voltron is enough," said Nyma, offering her hand for him to shake. "You're, what, defenders of the universe, right? Don't stop fighting. That's good enough for me."

Then she grinned.

"Though I wouldn't say no to that date, either," she said, winking. Lance blushed, rubbing at the back of his neck, then saluted with two fingers.

"I'll see you two around then," he said as a farewell. Lance met Nyma's eyes, then Rolo's, and nodded once before turning away sharply.

"Bye, Lance," Nyma called after him.

He climbed into Blue, taking comfort in the feeling of being with her again. She rumbled, snapping her jaws shut and lifting off.

"Hey, girl," he whispered. She purred in response.

When he landed in the hangar and came out, the others were waiting for him on the bridge. Allura was gesturing with a hand, continuing to speak even after he walked in, her eyes flitting to him for a moment.

"—to the Balmera," she was saying.

"Would've been there sooner if those two hadn't duped us," grumbled Hunk, but he looked happier now that they were well on their way.

"This will _not_ be easy," Allura continued. "Freeing the Balmera and its inhabitants will be difficult, and from what Hunk and Coran have described, we will need to work hard and plan this well."

"A plan, huh?" Lance asked. "So… can we just go in and, uh, pow, pow, pow!"

He shot finger guns in Pidge's direction; the Green Paladin rolled his eyes.

"Wait, bro," interrupted Hunk. He lifted his arms up by his head and imitated a cannon following by exploding noises and waving hands.

"Um, you're wrong," Pidge said. "It's more like— like— ba-choo! Ba-choo!"

"Alright, alright," Shiro called. "Enough with the bad sound effects. We need to focus. And it's more like: blam! Blam! Blam!"

He knelt, using his hands as laser guns. "Blam, blam!"

Lance frowned. "Uh, no."

"I suddenly don't know you," said Keith. "Like, at all."

"Nope."

"That's way off—"

"Alright!" Allura yelled over all of them, putting her hands on her hips. "I believe we've established that humans lack the talent to imitate laser guns. We must focus."

"Sound effects aside," started Hunk, lacing his fingers together. "We really can't just shoot at the Galra. They're… well, from what I know, this Balmera is _alive_. If we shoot it, we're just gonna end up hurting it more. It doesn't look like it's doing so great."

"Hunk is right," Coran added. "What the Galra have done to it is absolutely atrocious. Taking its crystals – its very life force – without giving back…"

Lance distantly remembered learning about Balmeras. He'd never been to one before, but he'd learned about the Altean rituals performed to rejuvenate the Balmera.

Balmeras had always fascinated him. The crystals they produced could power everything, from ships to technology to small cities. Altea had always used Balmeran crystals – but with taking came giving. Quintessence given in place of every crystal taken.

"After seeing Shay and her people enslaved," Hunk started. "It made me realize just how bad it is under Galran rule. And we... we're the only ones who can stop them."

"Well put, Hunk."

"Alright, so we can't rush in with guns blazing. Plan B. We need to draw them out to the surface so we can fight them without harming the Balmera."

"What if we lured them out?" Hunk asked. "Or, like, attack all the stuff on the surface? They have a bunch of mining stuff, so maybe if we blow that stuff up, they'll have to come defend it."

"Not bad," Keith said.

"Yeah," continued Hunk. "Then we just... beat them up, head down the tunnels, and Voltron will have saved the day!"

He looked a bit starry-eyed as he said this, gesturing excitedly as he imagined their victory. Lance smiled.

"A good plan," Shiro acknowledged. "But how do we know how many are still in the tunnels? Not everyone will come up."

"We can track them," Allura reassured. "We'll use Biothermal Life Indicator Point Technology."

Lance blinked, the words going right over his head.

"Oh," Pidge cried, clapping his hands together. "BLIP tech!"

At Allura's confused look, he added, "You know, BLIP tech. Like… an acronym?"

Allura dismissed it.

"One of you will have to fly around the Balmera and drop sensors down the mining shafts," she said, and they all nodded, following along. "From there, we'll be able to see where the Galra and the Balmerans are. And as a part of your suits, you already have sensors built in."

She lifted one of the BLIP sensors up, the screen showing five colored dots.

"I'll do it," Pidge volunteered. "I just modified Green. Added some cloaking — so I _should_ be able to get around unseen, though I can't say for how long."

Coran brought up a map of the Balmera's surface, pointing out the different structures that had been built. Lance winced in sympathy.

"If you take down the main power generator here," he said, pointing at a tall, curved row of generators, "then that will severely weaken them."

"I'll take that out," Shiro said. "Lance, Hunk, Keith: you guys will get the mining rigs."

"We won't be able to offer much," Allura said apologetically. "But we can give you cloud cover and tactical support if needed."

"Solid plan," Pidge said.

Hunk beamed at them all.

"Let's do this! Aw, yeah, let's go kick some alien, ah— butt!"

"Hope that doesn't include me," Lance muttered under his breath. Next to him, Shiro laughed; Lance merely grinned back at him.


	17. Chapter 17

**familiar** _  
chapter seventeen_

* * *

" _Okay, everyone. Get your heads in the game. We're on a mission_."

Pidge snickered. " _I didn't know you were into High School Musical_."

Hunk sighed.

" _A true classic_."

Shiro made a frustrated noise. " _Guys, I mean it_."

" _Yeah_ ," called Keith.

" _Focus_ ," Shiro said, his voice quiet, and silence spread through their Lions. A sort of calm settled over Lance even though they were heading into battle.

" _Pidge_?"

" _Initiating cloak_."

" _Keith? Lance? Hunk_?"

"We're going," Lance said; he heard the others give their affirmatives. The three lions drew together for a moment and then split, racing towards the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shiro turn towards the main power generator.

" _All sensors dropped_ ," Pidge reported.

From the Castle, Allura replied. " _Good work, Pidge_."

" _Alright_ ," Keith said. _"Let's hit 'em hard and fast, boys_."

Lance made an approving noise, and Blue followed suit, the two of them turning their sights on a structure.

As they flew towards the mining vaults, a beam came from nowhere.

"Keith!"

" _I'm good_ ," Keith hollered, turning Red to the side at the last moment. " _Watch out for that cannon_."

He steered Red towards it, streaking downwards like a falling star. They were nothing more than a blur for a moment, and then Red stopped, her stance firm as she opened her mouth.

Lance grinned when he realized what was about to happen. Red's mouth lit up brightly before fire poured out, turning the cannon into nothing more than a pile of ash.

" _Whoa_!" Keith cried. " _Did you guys see that_?"

" _That was cool_ ," Hunk said.

" _Wish I could spew fire_ ," Lance murmured, though he knew Blue's ice was way better. " _Bet it'd impress the ladies_."

" _Ugh_ ," replied Keith. " _How many girls are you trying to pick up, Lance? I'm still surprised Nyma even liked you_."

Lance scoffed. "And how many girls like you, huh, mullet?"

To be fair, though, there had been plenty of students at the Garrison who'd liked Keith. He understood it to some extent, he supposed; the brooding, mysterious pilot at the top of the class, the bad boy vibe he seemed to give off, the fire in him burning, everyone drawn to Keith like moths.

" _Oh, shut up_ ," Keith growled.

" _Right_ ," Hunk agreed. " _We're supposed to be destroying mines, guys, not egos_."

Lance snorted but turned his sights on a bridge. He and Blue raced in tandem; she extended her claws and raked them down the side.

"Score in one," Lance called, laughing as the bridge collapsed.

" _Lance, don't let it fall_!" Hunk yelled.

He swore, but Blue was already moving, racing underneath it and turning to face it. Lance closed his hands around the controls and felt quintessence echo through her.

Ice leapt up the sides of the bridge, the metal frosting over. There was a loud crackling as the ice multiplied, crystal patterns forming on the surface. In less than a minute, the falling bridge was suspended in mid-air like a beautiful ice sculpture.

"Close one," he panted. "Thanks, Blue."

" _That was close_ ," Hunk agreed.

" _Um, is it just me, or is something weird_?"

Lance frowned at Keith's comment, spinning in the air to look at the surface of the planet around him. Wrecked Galran mining structures lay in ruins on the red rock. Nearby, Shiro had destroyed the main power generator.

He squinted at the horizon, dust drifting lazily around them. If he looked hard enough, he could imagine being back in Nevada, could imagine he was back on Earth, if just for a moment. Lance wasn't sure why the thought made his chest tighten.

"It's quiet," he murmured, and Blue circled again. Her worry ran along the edges of his mind; it felt like she was tapping down his spine.

" _Too quiet_ ," Hunk said.

" _The ships_ ," Keith said.

"There aren't any."

After saying the words out loud, Lance realized that there really weren't. The plan had been to draw out the fighters, hopefully making the Galra come to the surface so they could fight. But now, he saw no one and nothing coming for them.

" _I don't like this_ ," Pidge said from somewhere. " _This isn't good_."

Sweat made his hair stick to his face. Lance pushed it back, frowning.

" _Maybe they all left_?" Keith suggested, but his voice was weak.

" _No way_ ," Hunk said. " _When we came, there were a ton of Galra ships down in the shafts. They're just... not here_."

"Why aren't they taking the bait?" Lance asked, speaking to himself.

Shiro answered the question anyway.

" _They want to lure us down there_."

"Well," Lance grumbled. "It's working."

" _We don't have a choice_."

" _Team Voltron_ ," Allura said suddenly, appearing on the screen. " _We've just located a hangar of Galran ships below the surface. They must be taken out._ "

Next to her, a map appeared, full of red dots that blinked back at Lance.

"We really don't have a choice, do we?"

"Alright, team," Shiro said. "Let's do this. Keith, Lance, I want you two to head to the hangar and find a way to take out those fighter ships. Hunk, you're heading down to rescue Shay and the others. Pidge, you're with me - we're locking in on those soldiers."

" _Yes, sir_ ," Keith snapped.

"Ten-four."

" _Got it_ ," said Hunk determinedly.

" _Okay_ ," Pidge replied.

"C'mon, mullet," Lance called, ducking under the bridge he'd frozen earlier. Light reflected off it and bounced back, painting patterns on the ground. The light was swallowed by the shaft just below it, a dark, gaping hole that seemed to have no end. Lance squinted; he tapped a button, and Blue's system began to analyze what they could see. Bridges. Flags. Ladders.

"You hurry up," said Keith, dropping into the shaft. Lance watched him go for a moment before following, the two of them racing towards the bottom of the mine.

Darkness swallowed them whole. Lance grit his teeth. They fell further and further; Lance got the feeling that the Balmera was watching them, waiting. A friend, perhaps - or perhaps waiting in disguise, readying to eat them.

"There," Keith said, and below them, Lance spotted the flickering lights of torches blazing along the walls. The fires sputtered as they brought their Lions closer.

"Landing," he said to no one in particular, feeling Blue slow underneath him. "Easy, babe."

It was hard to land a Lion quietly, but Lance tried his best. Still, their arrival was followed by a loud echo that made him wince.

"We need to use our speeders," Keith said, opening a channel to Blue and speaking to him face-to-face. He looked faintly worried, glancing to the side off-screen. "There's no way our Lions will fit, and we don't know if we'll be doing more help than harm."

Lance frowned at the thought of leaving Blue behind.

"Okay, Blue," he said softly, the speeder whirring under him. "See you soon, girl."

She hummed in response.

It made him uneasy, leaving Blue. He'd only just gotten her back, and now it was time for him to go.

"They'll be fine," Keith said, as if he knew what Lance was thinking. Maybe, just maybe, he was thinking the same thing.

"Yeah," Lance said, the word clipped. He glanced over his shoulder at his Lion. She'd already brought her particle barrier up; a moment later, Red did, too.

"Okay," he said to himself. "We can do this."

As much as he hated leaving Blue, he found that Keith was right. The tunnels were much smaller, obviously not built for anything as big as their Lions. It did, however, leave plenty of room for speeders.

Lance chewed on his lip as they raced underground, silent and fast. He didn't like feeling closed in, didn't like how the darkness pressed in on all sides. He didn't like how the rocks painted jagged shadows on the wall, spilling into the bright interior of his speeder threateningly.

He didn't like it at all.

"Up ahead," Keith reported suddenly, and Lance pushed back his fear.

"What's up?" Lance asked. He saw it a moment later, both on his map and before him. The hanger - they'd reached it.

"Come on," Keith said quietly. His speeder lifted up, hissing quietly as Keith crept out into the open, his bayard at the ready.

Lance took a moment to compose himself, then let his own bayard form. They made a great team strategically; Shiro had been smart to put them together.

A melee and ranged fighter paired together were dangerous. If Keith and Lance could manage to fight with each other and not against, they'd be a force of nature to be feared.

Lance narrowed his eyes at Keith's back. It was the working together part that was a problem.

"Look," Keith said suddenly. "There's only a few sentries guarding it. Take them out, and we'll have it!"

He rushed forward; Lance caught the back of his collar and yanked him to a stop.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

Keith gave him an annoyed look, like: _What do you think, dumbass?_

Lance let out a frustrated sigh, burying his head in the crook of his arm. Yeah, working together was _definitely_ a problem.

"Don't you remember what they told us about the Balmera, idiot? You need to chill, dude! If we go in guns blazing, we'll hurt it."

Keith opened his mouth to protest, but he slowly closed it again, swallowing.

"You're… right," he said, as if the thought was a terrible one.

"Yeah," Lance said pointedly, giving him a look. "So we can't just blow things up, okay?"

Keith frowned. "Then what _do_ we do? Got a better idea, Lance?"

Lance eyed the hangar and found a walkway that led to what appeared to be a control center. An idea began to form in his mind.

"Actually," he said. "I do."

Lance ignored Keith's look of surprise and explained his plan, gesturing to the control center and then to the bay doors, waiting wide open.

"That's… that's actually a good idea."

"Say that again?"

Keith shoved him. "Don't push your luck, cargo pilot."

His mood turned sour. "Shut it, mullet."

"Let's go," Keith said.

They crept out onto the walkway, weapons at the ready. Lance kept his gun trained on the hangar below them and the empty space around them.

"There's a sentry," Lance said, putting a hand on Keith's shoulder. "If we barge in—"

"I know," Keith said, his eyes drifting upwards. Lance grinned, gesturing at the roof.

"After you."

"How kind," Keith grumbled, but he climbed up easily, pausing to extend a hand to Lance.

"Huh," he muttered to himself, taking Keith's hand and hauling himself up. "Would you look at that."

"What?"

Lance shrugged, letting go of Keith's hand. "Nothing."

The red paladin gave him a long, searching look, then twisted his bayard in his hand, eyeing the surface below them. From the edge of the roof, Lance could see the sentry; he gestured for Keith to shift just slightly until they were right above it.

"Go for it."

Keith sliced through the ceiling like it was nothing, cutting a circle just big enough for them to get through. Lance kicked through it and dropped.

There was a loud clatter as the sentry went down. Lance raised an amused eyebrow at the slumped form on the ground as Keith followed, landing lightly on his feet.

"Keep an eye out for patrols," Lance said, glancing over the computer console. "I'll see what I can do."

Keith nodded sharply, and Lance turned his attention to the console in front of him.

It was written all in Galran script; some of the characters were ones that Lance recognized, but a lot of them had changed. He could only vaguely understand what each button was for.

Lance glanced at Keith and then shrugged.

"When in doubt," he said to himself. "Just mash buttons."

He pressed random ones that seemed to make sense. _Doors. Energy. Stations. Guards._ One that might've read _fork_ but probably meant _security._

In the center of the console was a small screen – a handprint reader. Lance looked at his hand, terribly human. He rubbed his fingers together, then examined the blisters that had formed in his palm.

Human.

Human, but in those blue-tinted veins ran Altean blood.

He glanced at Keith. The two of them were still on shaky ground; they definitely had a ways to go. Lance wasn't even sure if they were friends – more like allies of sorts or half-friendly rivals. Lance could count on one hand the number of times he'd trusted Keith.

"What?"

Lance realized he'd been staring.

"I thought I heard something," he said. Keith frowned.

"Are you sure?" he said, but he looked wary. "I'll check."

"Might be nothing," Lance said, glancing out the window, but his vision was blocked from where he was standing.

"We'll see," said Keith. He disappeared, slipping outside the control room, the last glimpse Lance got of him the glimmer of light on his blade.

Lance looked at the scanner again.

Everything about his plan was risky. It was possible, he figured, that it wouldn't work at all.

And Keith was right there – he'd be back any second now.

He weighed the risks in his mind and glanced out towards where Keith was again. He had to try, even if Keith ended up hating him for it, even if it didn't work.

Lance took a deep breath and focused.

He pictured Zarkon for a moment; the image scrambled in his mind, and Zarkon's face faded away.

 _Galra. You are Galra._

"I am Galra," Lance muttered.

 _To shift, you have to believe it. You must become more than you are._

He opened his eyes. In front of him, his right hand began to change. His bones groaned under his skin. Purple crept along his palm, spreading slowly. His nails grew longer and sharper.

Lance clenched his fist, keeping it controlled.

"Just the hand," he hissed to himself. His wrist darkened, but below that, his skin remained the same. Lance smiled victoriously. He pressed his hand flat against the scanner, light bursting under his palm.

Nothing happened. Lance drew his hand back, the purple already fading—

There was a distant rumbling. Outside, the bay doors began to shut.

"How'd you do that?"

Keith appeared suddenly, looking like he was out of breath.

Lance tucked his hand behind his back, pressing against the computer console. He waved his other hand.

"Just put my hand on the scanner," he said.

"How—"

"Does it matter?"

They stared at each other for a moment. Lance silently dared Keith to question him further.

"Let's get out of here," Keith said instead, turning his attention away from the bay doors.

Lance checked his hand - he'd shifted back completely. His secret was safe.

" _Keith, Lance, do you copy_?"

"We're here," Keith answered for the both of them.

" _Paladins_ ," Allura cut in. " _The sensors are detecting the Galra; all of them are moving down the tunnels. From what we can see, they're headed straight for the center_."

"The core of the Balmera," Hunk said. His voice was faint and faraway, just like the others. "That's where they're going. I think that's... that's where they're holding Shay."

" _An ambush_ ," Shiro muttered. " _It has to be. We don't have any choice. Keith, Lance - get to the core. If we have to fight, then we'll fight together._ "

Lance and Keith exchanged a look.

"We'll be there," Lance said.

"Copy that."

They barely made it out of the control room before running into a squadron. Lance immediately dove behind a pile of rocks, Keith going for the opposite side. Fire spat in the air above their heads.

"Fuck," Lance hissed, eyeing the tunnel walls. "They're hurting the Balmera."

"We have to do something!" Keith cried.

There was a sudden noise, a terrible wail that resonated deep in his bones. It was a note of pain.

"No," Lance growled, but there was nothing they could do. The Balmera cried out again, long and low, and Lance wanted to keen back, wanted to share the burden.

"What do we do?"

Lance bit his lip. "We can't shoot back. We'll only hurt it more."

The ground shook as the Balmera cried. Lance slowly looked up to find a series of vents above his head, rattling quietly.

"Keith!"

When Keith looked at him, Lance signaled between them and then lifted his eyes pointedly towards the ceiling.

" _What_?"

Keith looked up and blinked for a moment, then nodded.

There was no time to double check that they were both on the same page. Lance leapt out into the open, grinning.

"Hey," he yelled, then gestured at himself. "Don't you want a piece of this?"

His shield came up as soon as he'd finished taunting them. The sentries fired, shots rebounding off of his shield, and Lance lifted his head up, gasping for breath.

"I can't believe I'm alive," he said loudly. "I mean, my shield is the size of a dinner plate."

" _Lance, did I hear a joke?_ "

"No," Lance hollered back as Keith leapt from the walkways above their heads, katar flashing. He cut through the sentries like they were nothing.

"Alright?" Keith called.

Lance sent him a thumbs-up.

"Keep going," he said. "No time."

They stuck together, keeping close as they ran through the tunnels. Lance's lungs burned, but he didn't stop; Keith looked just as tired.

"Almost there," Lance said between breaths.

" _Roger that_ ," Shiro responded. He paused. " _Where are the Galra? If this is an ambush…_ "

They burst through an entrance, Lance readying his gun. He staggered to a stop when he found only the other members of Voltron waiting.

Hunk was in the center, busy untying Shay.

"What's going on?" Keith asked, his voice sharp.

Suddenly the entrances shut. Around them, the tunnels were blocked off one by one until there was no way to escape. A chill ran up Lance's spine.

"It's not an ambush," Hunk said, pulling Shay to her feet. "It's a trap."

"We have to keep our guard up."

"The Galra," Shay cut in. "They gained information that you would return here."

Pidge's brow furrowed. " _How_?"

Shay shook her head.

"I know not, but… they set this trap for you." She lowered her eyes, ashamed. "I was the bait."

"Shay…" Hunk said gently.

" _Rolo_ ," growled Keith. "That filthy… he must have told the Galra where we were planning on going!"

Lance gritted his teeth.

He believed it, sure — but Lance guessed it'd been _before_ Voltron had caught up to them. Likely after they'd taken Blue. The thought was only somewhat comforting.

"We have to get out of here," Shiro said, looking around.

"Allura," Lance said urgently. "Any way you can help us?"

"It's a giant Castleship floating in the sky," Keith said. "How are they supposed to help us?"

"Hey—"

" _I'm sorry, we're a bit preoccupied ourselves!_ "

"Allura?"

" _We're surrounded—_ "

" _Princess! Our particle barrier won't last much longer!"_

" _Paladins, please,_ " Allura said. " _Get out of there as quickly as you can._ "

She cut off.

Lance tightened his hand around his bayard. The team had subconsciously drifted towards each other, shoulder-to-shoulder, back-to-back.

"Hold on, Princess," Shiro said. "Hold on."

"We're coming," Lance added, but he was frowning. They had to make it out of there first.


	18. Chapter 18

**familiar** _  
chapter eighteen_

* * *

"So," Lance said conversationally, trying to keep his panic at bay. "On a scale of one to ten, how bad is the situation?"

Pidge was watching Rover scan the area, looking for any escape routes not visible to the naked eye. So far, it didn't seem to be finding anything.

He tilted his head to the side and considered Lance, then held up ten fingers.

"How should I put this?" Pidge asked. "Oh, right. Je suis fucked."

Hunk crossed his arms.

"Shouldn't it be, like… nous sommes fucked?"

Distantly, Lance heard Shiro call, "Keep it English, please! And _language_."

Pidge snickered. "Literally."

"I… perhaps my people can help," Shay said, and Lance turned to find a determined look flash across her face.

"Hate to break it to you," Keith said. "But we're kind of stuck here."

Shay shook her head and placed a hand on the Balmera's core. Lance watched, fascinated.

"We do not need to be near each other to speak," Shay explained. "This is how we communicate. The Balmera senses our vibrations and sends a message to those in the tunnels."

"Are you sure someone will be able to hear your, uh, hand from down here?"

"We have to trust. The Balmera _will_ deliver the message."

Under Shay's hand, the Balmera began to glow softly. He heard Hunk gasp.

" _Paladins, do you copy?_ " Allura's voice was frantic. " _There's a battle cruiser locked on us. If we don't get backup, I'm not sure we'll last against the ion cannon._ "

Shiro frowned. "Shay, are you sure the Balmera is sending your message?"

"We're on our way, Princess," Lance said, then winced. "Kind of."

The ground shook.

Lance yelped, grabbing onto Pidge, who looked like he was about to be sent flying.

Then a group of Balmerans burst in, looking like they were ready to save the day.

"Rax!" cried Shay, her eyes wide. Hunk looked just as surprised.

"We must make haste," Rax said, holding up a hand before anything else could be said. "There's a shortcut through the tunnels we can take. Come."

Puzzled and grateful, the team followed Rax through the tunnels.

"Allura," Shiro said. "Stand by. We're on our way up."

" _You must hurry! They're taking off with the Lions._ "

Lance sped up. He wasn't going to let Blue be taken from him again. The team split when they came to a network of tunnels; Lance felt his bond with Blue strengthen as they got closer.

When they reached the shaft where he and Keith had left their Lions, Lance went in guns blazing. With every shot, another sentry fell.

" _Everyone make it back alright?_ "

Lance launched himself into the cockpit, running a hand along the wall to reassure himself that he was really here.

" _Yeah._ "

"'Course we did," said Lance, spinning to face upwards. "Who do you take us to be, Shiro, a bunch of ama—"

Blue growled when they clipped past a mining structure, flight slowing.

"Whoops."

" _Exactly,_ " Keith said.

"Sorry, girl," Lance said, making a face in Red's direction.

As they reached the surface, light burst across Lance's vision. He blinked several times, waiting for his eyes to adjust to seeing the bright sky, and found a fleet of Galran ships racing towards them.

" _Oh, we really are fucked,_ " Hunk yelled.

" _Watch_ _out_!"

Lance shouted when Pidge raced to block Hunk from heavy fire, pulling up Green's shield just in time.

" _We've got you,_ " Shiro said. Black's jaw blade appeared; he cut through the fighter pods easily. Lance watched them go.

Hunk sighed. " _Thanks, guys._ "

" _Paladins!_ "

Lance turned his gaze to where the Castle was hanging in the sky, like something out of a fairytale. Opposite it was a Galran battle cruiser. Between them was a bright beam, all of its power focused on the meager shield the Castle could produce.

" _Oh, stars,_ " Coran said. " _Five more ticks, and we'll be done for!_ "

" _No time to waste, then. Team, form Voltron!_ "

Voltron tore through the sky, slamming into the battle cruiser. It groaned, but their force was too much.

The beam went wide as Voltron pushed it aside.

" _Now's our chance, Princess!_ "

" _Full power on the blasters!_ "

" _Fire!_ "

The Castle retaliated, blasting at the battle cruiser. It stood no chance. The hull exploded, and the ship shuddered, a last, defiant move before it split. Caught in the explosion, a fleet of ships fell like birds that had suddenly lost their wings.

The sight was both beautiful and terrible. Smoke like dark clouds billowed around them; the sky was painted red and orange – a sunset at first glance, a travesty of peace when inspected closer.

" _Yeah!_ "

" _Nice shot, Princess!_ "

The comms filled with victory shouts; Lance, his hands shaking, stayed silent.

" _Mission accomplished, huh_?"

" _Just in the tick of time. We'll need to recharge._ "

The Castle landed. Lance pursed his lips.

Blue growled suddenly, the sound low and dangerous. Immediately, Lance knew she was seeing something he couldn't. Alarms began to blare.

" _There's an unknown object heading straight our way_!"

" _A… UFO_?"

A ship broke through the atmosphere and hurtled towards the ground. Before any of them could move, it hit the ground.

"What— what is that?"

"… _Trouble, that's what._ "

The ship looked like an egg. Translucent and purple, Lance could see a shape encased within it. A head there. Arms, perhaps. There, the curved line of a spine, if he looked hard enough.

"Um," he said. "Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?"

" _Nope. I'm not. Nope. Nope._ "

" _Please tell me that's not a monster in there. It's just— it's just, like, candy or something. Yeah, candy. Milky Ways and all that._ "

" _Ha. Milky Ways._ "

"I don't think it's a piñata, Hunk."

" _If it's anything like the monster we fought on Arus, we should be able to defeat it easily._ "

" _Easily, he says_ ," Pidge scoffed. " _Yeah, right_."

" _Hold your ground._ "

The ship unfolded. A head burst out, looking at its new surroundings, followed by long, spindly arms that stretched out towards a sky. The beast took a few hesitant steps, testing the planet's surface.

It looked reptilian in nature, like a lizard. It swung from side to side before its head raised and turned in their direction. Beady red eyes locked on a target: Voltron.

" _That's not candy,_ " Hunk squeaked.

"Nope," Lance agreed, just as nervous.

" _Pidge. Keith._ "

Voltron's shield appeared first, followed by their sword. Blue moved to accommodate them; Lance's fingers twitched slightly, longing to send them into flight.

" _In the air_!"

Lance responded in less than a second, Blue just as anxious. Hopefully, they'd be able to draw the Robeast away from the Balmera's surface — Lance didn't know how much more suffering the creature could take.

The Robeast let out an ear-splitting cry.

Lance's hands flew up to cover his ears as he groaned. The other paladins seemed to be just as disoriented as he was; Voltron faltered in mid-flight.

That was all the Robeast needed.

A circular plate on its chest lit up bright green. Lance realized what was happening only a moment before it did.

It was Pidge's shield that saved them. The blast hit them straight-on; Lance yelled as they were forced backwards.

"We can't hold out!"

" _My Lion's weakening! If this shield sustains any structural damage, we're done for!_ "

" _Pidge is right!_ "

Lance huffed, indignant.

"I _just_ said that," he replied offhandedly.

" _Lance, footing!_ "

He hissed, trying to keep them balanced, but they were too far gone. Voltron fell forward, tipping over even as the Robest kept firing.

" _This isn't going to work! Voltron, disband!_ "

Despite himself, Lance felt only relief when Voltron split. With only Blue, he was back in control, able to contribute to the fight as best he could.

" _Evasive maneuvers_ ," Shiro ordered. " _It can't attack us all at once._ "

For once, Shiro was wrong.

If they'd been in any other situation, Lance would've gloated over it. Now, though, he wanted Shiro to be right.

The Robeast's arms were lined with cannon after cannon after cannon; as they flew, beams followed them wildly, barely missing the Lions but hitting the Balmera.

" _Fire!_ "

Lance dodged a beam, surprise making him pause. It hadn't been Shiro's voice saying that, but Allura's.

The Castle fired a moment later, but the victory didn't last for very long. The Robeast fired back, blocked only in time by the Castle's particle barrier.

" _Wherever is Zarkon getting all these beasts from_?"

" _And_ how _do they keep finding us?_ "

" _Princess, the particle barrier won't hold for much longer. It's not at full strength, not after that blast from the battleship._ "

" _That's our cue,_ " Shiro said. " _Keith, draw its fire! I'm coming in from above._ "

" _Roger!_ "

Keith flitted around it, heat following him in a wave. As Shiro dove from behind, Lance held his breath.

The beast spun around and roared, mouth opening wide to reveal a cannon.

" _Watch out!_ "

Black spun out of the way.

"We need to find its blind spot!"

" _Uh, Lance, I don't think it has one!_ "

" _Oh, no_ ," Hunk yelled. " _It's got laser eyes! Laser eyes_!"

There was no escaping it. Lance gritted his teeth, relying on raw instinct to pilot Blue safely out of heavy fire.

" _What do we do? Fighting this thing is like fighting an entire fleet at once_!"

" _We need to take out those eyes_!"

"Uh, Keith, buddy," Lance yelled, diving towards the ground and twisting back up. "Tell me when you've got that part figured out!"

The Castle had lifted off again; distantly, Lance heard Allura order another round of fire.

" _We'll cover you_ ," she told them firmly, turning the Castle's blasters on the Robeast.

" _We're being hit!_ " Coran yelled. " _Oh, no! We've lost the spectral generator! Moving to reserves_."

Lance could barely see what was happening, moving too fast to take a look outside. He managed a fleeting glance upwards, though, and found the Castle under a barrage of fire.

" _That doesn't look good_."

" _It's not_!" Coran replied. " _There's a fire in VIN bay three! Supressors on— suppressors are out! Allura, we've got to draw back. The ship is falling apart_!"

" _No_ ," Allura snarled. " _We are not— we will not_ —"

" _Allura_!" yelled Shiro. " _Draw back_!"

" _I am not abandoning you_ —"

" _You are not abandoning us_!" His voice was so powerful that it even made Lance stop for a moment. Black dove, skimming the Balmera's surface. Lance heard him pant.

" _You are_ not _abandoning us_ ," he said, his voice softer this time. " _Team, draw back into the tunnels_."

" _Shiro_!"

" _What_?"

" _No_!"

" _We can't retreat_!"

" _And we can't hold out_!" Shiro said. " _Everyone, get into the nearest shaft. We'll need to regroup and figure out a better strategy_."

" _Roger that_ ," said Pidge.

" _Fine_ ," Allura said, her voice tight. " _Going into orbit_!"

Separated as they were, the five of them couldn't group together. Instead, Lance followed the closest Lion - Green. The two of them dropped, the way down no less terrifying than before.

" _Rax_!"

As Blue and Green landed, Lance heard their comms buzz with distant voices. The Balmerans had come.

" _What's going on_?"

" _There's a monster up there_ ," Shiro explained, his voice tired but calm. " _Zarkon sent it to destroy us._ "

" _A monster? Will Zarkon's savagery never abate? Perhaps our people were never meant to be free_."

Lance hopped out of Blue hesitantly. Pidge came out, too; they exchanged a weighted look that spoke volumes.

" _Shay, you can't give up. Yeah, Zarkon's power grows with every planet he conquers… but it lessens with every being who fights back._ "

" _Fight back?_ "

Shay sounded frightened; Lance wanted to speak up, to say something — he understood.

" _We— how? How can we fight back?_ "

" _Our people have never fought._ "

" _I don't know,_ " Hunk said. " _But we can, and we will."_

" _Can we?_ "

Lance smacked his forehead with a hand. Not the best thing to say.

" _Yes, we can. We won't fail, and we haven't failed yet. We just need some time to come up with a plan._ "

" _See?_ " Lance pictured Hunk's smile, bright and hopeful. _"Thanks, Shiro._ "

The Balmera groaned. A rock fell from its place, crashing down next to their Lions.

Lance grabbed Pidge – or maybe it was the opposite way around – and held on tight.

" _Do you guys feel that over there_?"

The ground shook under their feet.

"Yeah, we feel it. What's that sound?"

" _That is the Balmera. Our home… it is crumbling beneath our very feet. The Balmera…_ " the old voice hesitated. " _The great Balmera is dying._ "

" _Coran, Allura, are you there?_ "

" _We're here, Shiro._ "

" _The Balmera—_ "

" _We already know,_ " Coran said, cutting him off. " _Our scanners are showing the life energy of the Balmera. It's fading._ "

"How?" Pidge asked.

" _Sending a scan your way._ "

Pidge pressed at his armor, pulling up a screen. Lance crowded closer so he could look, too.

"Removing crystals from a Balmera is like removing a vital part of the mighty beast. The Balmera needs time to regenerate itself to stay healthy, but the Galra's greed may have cost this noble Balmera its life."

" _So, what's gonna happen_?"

" _Its core will collapse, destabilizing the entire skeletal structure. Anything or anyone remaining on the Balmera at that point will be crushed into dust._ "

"Wonderful."

" _How long do we have before its core collapses_?"

" _Probably a matter of hours. The mighty organism willingly gives itself to all, but not all return its kindness._ "

"That's…" Pidge said.

 _Despicable_ , Lance thought. _Monstrous._

" _We'll have to evacuate the planet,_ " Allura said decisively. " _The Balmerans have to make it onto the Castle of Lions before the planet implodes._ "

" _And how do we do that? There's a monster up there! How on Earth are we supposed to get them out?_ "

" _We're not on Earth,_ " Coran said haltingly, confused.

"You'll need a distraction," Pidge said, tapping something on his wrist and opening a channel to the Castle's feed.

" _We'll engage the beast,_ " Shiro said. " _Allura and Coran can land the Castle and load the Balmerans on._ "

"Or we could shuttle them," Lance proposed. "I mean, look at that thing. We can just shuttle the Balmerans to the Castle without engaging."

He wasn't sure they'd be able to make it, but Lance was even more unsure of how they'd be able to defeat the Robeast.

" _That would take days,_ " Coran said. " _Weeks, even._ "

" _We don't have that kind of time. We only have hours._ "

" _Look,_ " Shiro said finally. _"We don't have to beat this thing. We just need to bait it away from the ship long enough to get all the Balmerans out safely. Provoke and evade._ "

" _Chapter five, section three,_ " mumbled Keith.

" _How do you even remember that?_ "

"Are you kidding me? Keithy boy over there probably memorized the Garrison textbooks."

Lance threw his arm over his mouth to muffle his laughter. On the other end, Keith made an indignant, surprised noise.

" _We can totally do the provoking part,_ " Hunk said. " _But the evading part? That's what I'm not so sure about."_

He took a deep breath. " _If… if you guys think that's what we really need to do, then I'll do it. For Shay and for her people._ "

" _Can you contact the other Balmerans?_ "

Shay's response was hesitant. " _I can, but I know not what they will say. You… you are asking us to leave the only home we have ever known._ "

" _I'm coming down._ "

Lance and Pidge exchanged surprised looks.

" _Allura, no!_ "

" _Someone has to lead the Balmerans out,_ " Allura said firmly.

"Princess," Pidge pleaded. "That thing will spot your pod and blow you to pieces!"

" _Let me worry about that. Focus on your part, and I will focus on mine._ "

She closed her channel before any of them could protest further. Lance gripped Pidge's arm; their eyes met for a moment before the two bounded towards their Lions.

The Robeast was waiting for them, but this time, they were ready.

Blue fired off three warning shots, icing over a cannon. They dove, claws out, and made a pass at the monster's head. It shrieked, obviously outraged by the five Lions around it, and gave chase. Just what they wanted.

" _Alright, Allura,_ " Shiro said. " _We're luring it away. It's time._ "

" _Yeah,_ " Hunk added. " _Definitely got the provoke part of the plan down. Let's evade!_ "

" _I'll contact you when I've reached the ground._ "

Blue's vision locked onto a distant shape. Lance glanced to the side, then did a double take.

"Is that 'llura?"

" _Protect the Princess!_ "

Fear drove him forward, trying to distract the Robeast. It had noticed her, though; suddenly, Hunk was there, Yellow taking a blast that would've hit her had he not thrown them in the way.

" _Go, go, go!_ "

Lance didn't need to be told. He and Blue darted in the gap that Yellow had left, protecting both his teammate and the princess.

"Hey, ugly!"

" _I don't think it can hear you!_ "

The Robeast swiveled towards him and snarled.

" _On second thought,_ " Keith said. " _Maybe it can. Run_!"

"Oh, believe me, I am," Lance yelled, pulling Blue up so they climbed further into the sky.

" _I'm on the ground,_ " Allura said suddenly, and Lance let loose a sigh of relief. She was safe — for now, at least.

" _You have to hurry, Princess,_ " Shiro said. " _I don't know how long we can hold this thing off_."

Sure enough, they were fighting a losing battle.

"Haggar's really done a good job with this one," Lance said quietly to Blue as they barely dodged a shot. "If I see her, I'll be sure to send my compliments."

Blue chuffed in his mind, sharing the dark amusement.

" _Shay, I will need your help._ "

Lance tuned into Allura's conversation as they danced through the air. Compared to the Robeast, they looked like pests — mosquitoes, maybe, nothing more than an annoyance to be swatted away.

" _Have you contacted the other Balmerans?_ "

A pause. " _What— what is it? Have you not…?_ "

Shay spoke. " _On behalf of my people, we thank you for the kindness you have shown us and what you have taught us. But we cannot leave our home._ "

Lance lost control of their flight; he and Blue spiraled downwards in horror before he caught them again.

"What?"

" _What?_ "

"If our great Balmera's life cycle is over because of us, then our desire is to stay with it until the end."

" _No_!" Hunk yelled. " _You won't survive!_ "

" _It is our wish, Hunk. The wish of all Balmerans. Thank you for what you have done — you truly touched my heart._ "

" _No,_ " Hunk said again.

" _We contacted the others, and all agree. It's not right that you risk your lives for us. Please, away. We ask for no more guilt and shame upon us_."

" _I won't give up on you!_ "

" _Neither will I._ "

" _I have heard your words — now let me speak mine. Is there a way to speak to the Balmerans?_ "

" _You do not need to go through us to let them hear you. You hold immense power; the Balmera will carry your words. You only need to speak from your heart._ "

" _Balmerans, this is Princess Allura. You don't know me, but I am here to help. I know what it's like to watch your home planet die. For I come from planet Altea, a planet that has long been destroyed by the Galra. But I refuse to give up._ "

She paused, taking a deep breath. Lance blinked and found tears in his eyes.

" _And now, you all have the same choice. You can decide now to devote your lives to making sure this never happens to another planet. I am eternally sorry for what has happened to the Balmera, but I beg you, do not let its dying be in vain."_

"How much more can he take?" Lance whispered, his question unheard.

" _Honor the Balmera's death by refusing to give up. Join me in my fight against the Galra. Please._ "


	19. Chapter 19

**familiar** _  
chapter nineteen_

* * *

There were a thousand things happening at once. The Castle of Lions landed at the edge of a mining shaft, distant figures crowding around it. Around him, laser beams danced in the air. Sound burst from the comms — shouts of panic, orders, pleas, all of it loud and chaotic.

"— _the Castle—"_

" _Paladins!_ "

" _We've got him,"_ Keith ground out. " _How are the Balmerans_?"

" _They're making their way to the top,_ " replied Allura. " _But we'll need more time._ "

" _We don't have more time._ "

" _Quickly!_ "

Lance risked a glance to the ground and found groups of Balmerans slowly making their way to the surface. Coran was ushering them into a transport pod that would bring them to a ship, but they were too slow.

 _The Balmera will not last for much longer._

Blue hadn't said anything for a while; hearing her in his mind distracted him.

"There has to be a way," he said. "The Balmera…"

In his mind, he could still hear it — the wailing, the overwhelming feeling of grief. Another life lost to Zarkon.

He borrowed Blue's eyesight, blurring the line between them but not stepping past it. A laser came for them; he thrust forward, sending them down and out of the way.

Close by, a blast hit the Balmera. Lance suddenly realized how much damage the Robeast was doing by firing at the Lions. The shots were scattered; while _they_ weren't hurt, the Balmera was.

"We have to do something," he said.

" _But what_?"

Lance twisted up, standing in his seat. He swore quietly. He'd forgotten the comms channel was open.

" _What can we do? The Balmera is dying._ "

" _Wish we could ease its pain somehow… heal it, even._ "

Blue pressed against his mind, passing a sealed memory — a Druid kneeling in a circle of Balmerans, light passing between them. The ritual.

He flexed his fingers.

"I don't know if I can do it," he said under his breath. "I don't… know how."

 _What choice do we have?_

They danced out of the way of another beam, trying to get closer to the Robeast. Underneath them was another mining shaft, stretching deep below the surface.

The Robeast, he noticed, had no strategy. It didn't need one, though, not with those laser eyes. If they could take them out, the fight would be ten times fairer, but there was no way they could get that close.

Lance was forced low to the ground as he dodged volley after volley. He landed Blue, skidding backwards when she did.

Firing back was pointless. He met the Robeast shot for shot, ice against fire, but it wasn't enough.

The ground rumbled.

Lance and Blue, unprepared, went flying — not in the air but thrown back against the ground, tumbling head over tail. Rock crumbled around them, dust raining down alongside laserfire.

Caught off guard, he wasn't fast enough to maneuver them out of the way of the Robeast's next shot.

" _Lance_ — _"_

Blue groaned as she took the shot; pain sparked along his ribs. He sent strength coursing through the bond as he pushed at the thrusters, trying to keep them steady.

" _The Balmera_!"

Lance wasn't sure when the world had suddenly changed to darkness.

The mining shaft they'd been hovering over — they'd been thrown into it. He shook in his seat and pounded his palm against the dashboard.

"Come on, girl," he pleaded. The shot had broken something; the flashing messages told him it was one of the thrusters, which would throw off both their flight and their balance.

Blue made a pained call, the sound of her cry echoing in the shaft.

There came a response, low and deep. All around them, the Balmera answered.

Lance eyed Blue's stats. The backup would work if they had just enough energy – just a little more quintessence.

He pooled his, wrapping himself in Blue and letting her draw from him. A deep purr resonated around him, and Lance suddenly found himself drained and tired. It'd worked.

"Come on, girl," he said. "Let's fly."

Blue didn't move for a while. Then she turned in a slow circle, her eyes lighting up the hollow caverns. Shadows painted the walls purple.

"Blue?"

 _Try_ , she said, lowering her head to the ground and opening her mouth, the ramp glowing and illuminating the exit.

He hesitated.

The comms burst with frantic calls of his name; he dismissed them, only responding once to tell them that he was fine before shutting it off, though that wasn't the best idea.

Blue nudged at his mind, and Lance stood from his seat, taking slow hesitant steps out of his Lion.

The ground continued to shake. Rocks fell around them, but nothing hit them. Unable to stay standing, Lance fell backwards, landing on his hands. He hissed but stayed low to the ground, hoping that would help.

He didn't know what to do. Blue was wrong — he couldn't fix this. Lance wasn't a healer, nor could he speak to dying planets.

The rumbling came again. The grief he tasted in the air was the same as the grief he carried in his heart, and somehow that made him pause.

 _Speak with your heart_ , the old Balmeran had told Allura.

Lance knelt on the ground, shifting his hands so he could press them palms down.

"I feel your grief," he said softly. "I feel your pain."

Speaking to the Balmera was different from speaking to Blue. With Blue, he felt like he was floating on a sea, the waves tugging him from the shore. With the Balmera, he felt like he was at the edge of the universe, watching it unfold.

"Let me help you," he whispered.

Blue stood over him, her front paws on either side of him. Lance felt her pour her energy into his.

They were giving up their flight, he realized. After this, they'd be stuck here until someone could retrieve them.

The thought passed quickly. Lance ran his thumb in circles on the bare rock. He imagined giving away his quintessence, sharing it like he would with Blue.

He was floating; he was sinking— he was not a body, then, but more.

Under his hands, the rock glowed, light dancing along the cracks and racing up the walls, climbing like vines.

Blue growled, the sound crescendoing. Lance was shaking. An ache began deep in his chest — he was giving away too much. The Balmera enveloped him, warmth blossoming around his mind.

Just when Lance thought he couldn't keep going, a second presence joined him. It was faint, barely there, a newborn star that grew stronger and stronger.

Quintessence pulsed around him.

For a moment, their energies intertwined. The taste of juniberries filled his mouth, and he thought he saw a flash of silver before he fell back, drawing away from the Balmera and back into his own body.

"Allura," he whispered, dizzy.

The ground shook from the impact of a fallen structure, and Lance heaved himself up. He stumbled a few times, lethargy making his movements slow, but he managed to make it into Blue.

Lance flipped Blue's comms on, and the sound hit him all at once.

" _Lance isn't answering!_ "

"Whoops," he muttered to himself. "Uh, Lance is alive, thanks for the concern."

" _What the hell, Lance?_ "

" _Are you okay_?"

" _We could use you up here!_ "

Lance scratched at the back of his neck.

"Uh," he said, slumping in his seat. "I… Blue and I are kind of stuck."

" _Stuck?_ "

"Thrusters are busted," he answered. "We can't fly. The Robeast knocked us out."

There was a sharp hiss of air from Hunk's side.

" _We need Voltron_ ," Shiro said. " _Hunk, Pidge, is there any way we can get Lance back in the air?_ "

" _Redirect the energy to the thrusters, Lance_ ," Hunk said. " _I mean, if you can._ "

He frowned.

"I think so…"

He checked Blue's systems. It'd work— it wasn't the best solution, but it was the only chance they had.

"Shutting off comms," he said, and Lance heard their affirmatives before he shut down Blue's comms system. Everything they could spare – everything they didn't need – he sent to get them in the air.

Lance switched the comms in his helmet on.

"I think I've got it," he told the others.

" _See you in the air, Lance._ "

He was tearing out of the mining shaft in no time, pushing Blue faster and faster even as tired as they both were.

" _Lance, are you good_?"

He gritted his teeth and rolled his shoulders back.

"Good as it gets, Shiro."

" _I think I know what to do,_ " Hunk said suddenly. " _Er, well – my Lion does. I think she wants me to do what Keith does with the sword-bayard-thing?_ "

" _Think it'll help?"_

" _We have to trust that it will. Voltron!_ "

Uadsty had wielded a bow and arrow; with them, this wouldn't have worked. But Hunk's weapon was a shoulder cannon, something close to a railgun. If anything could take out those laser eyes, his bayard could.

" _Alright, Hunk, on your mark._ "

Hunk's first shot countered the Robeast's.

" _Not enough_ ," he heard Hunk mutter. " _We need more._ "

" _Woah, what's going on_?"

Lance didn't see what Pidge was talking about until something appeared on the screen in front of him, targets locking on the Robeast's laser eyes.

" _You guys seeing this?_ "

" _Roger that._ "

" _Looks like what we need, Hunk. Engage!_ "

A shower of bullets flew from the shoulder cannon. The shots ran true, each one taking out an eye. One by one, they winked out.

"Yes!"

" _Yeah_!"

The Robeast stumbled back; Hunk fired again, sending it crashing to the ground.

Lance laughed. Suddenly, he felt lighter, more energized – maybe he was feeding off of the others' energy, making up for what he'd given away. Then he realized it was Allura, her quintessence amplified by the Castle as she healed the Balmera.

" _The Balmera lives._ "

Lance sagged in relief.

" _Disband._ "

They needed no prompting. The Lions landed next to the Castle; Lance patted Blue's side and joined the others on land. The Balmera hummed under his feet, singing its thanks in his mind. Allura was smiling, proud of what she'd done.

But it wasn't only the Balmera and Lance she revived. The Robeast stood, light travelling up its arms. While its eyes didn't flare back up, it was still back in the fight.

"Aw, come on," Lance groaned, turning as it focused on it.

He reached for Blue, but they were still too slow.

Then a crystal broke free from the surface of the Balmera. Shining in the sun, it tore through the Robeast, crushing it. Another crystal rose, then another, then another, until the Balmera's crystals had surrounded the Robeast. It'd saved them.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"No _way._ "

"Did the Balmera just save us? Holy shit."

"Well," Pidge said. "That happened."

Lance wasn't sure why he laughed, but he did.

They spent the rest of the day with the Balmerans, talking quietly and celebrating freedom from the Galra.

It made Lance happy to see the planet freed, but it also made him sad. They'd never been free. The Balmerans had spent their lives wasting away as slaves, not knowing anything better. They'd lived and died, and so had the Balmera.

They'd never even seen the sun.

Lance excused himself and jogged back to Blue, climbing onto her head and settling himself just behind her neck. Her back was warm; he laid on his back and looked up towards the sky and the setting sun.

"This is what I want to do," he told her quietly. "This— the Balmerans…"

He didn't need to say more. Blue knew what he was thinking.

A chill suddenly ran through him. Laughter drifted up from the ground, and then music, bright and happy.

Zarkon…

Lance rolled over, peeking over the edge of Blue's back. Scattered through the crowd of Balmerans was his team — Hunk and Shay were standing together in the distance, Pidge on a Balmeran's shoulders, and Keith talking with Shiro with a few others. Even Allura and Coran were there.

They'd all fought for this. And they'd done it together.

"Do you think they'll hate me for it?"

He felt her question.

"I lied to them," he said. "And— I still can't trust them. What if they leave me?"

 _Like Zarkon._

" _Blue,_ " he said, sitting up sharply then falling back, covering his face with his hands. "I just— I want to, you know I do, but… I knew Zarkon for years, and I trusted him more than anything, and he _still_ —"

Lance had to stop for a moment.

"He still turned on us. And look at what he's done."

He flung an arm out towards the Balmera, finally free but battered from years under the empire. And there were more planets out there, more places, more people, all of them living like this.

Lance dropped his voice lower. "I trusted him for _years_. I barely know these guys. If I couldn't trust Zarkon, what says I can trust them?"

 _We must believe. Their hearts are true._

"I know…"

Lance closed his eyes.

"I'm just— scared."

He hated saying it, hated admitting it, but it was the truth. A phantom pain rippled across his chest; he touched his armor, imagining the lines that were drawn underneath them over his skin.

 _We are trust_ , said Blue. The words settled in his heart like little stones.

"We are trust," he repeated.

"Lance?"

It was Allura. Lance shoved his thoughts away and patted Blue's neck, letting her lower her head to the ground before he leapt off.

"Hey, Princess," he said, sweeping into a bow. "Here to see me?"

She rolled her eyes at his tone.

"I wanted to speak with you about something."

Allura looked hesitant and unsure, something Lance didn't want to see. He tugged at his collar.

"What's up?"

"Just something strange," she said, frowning. "When I was healing the Balmera, I noticed another presence with me. It was only for a moment, but I have reason to believe that they were helping long before I began."

His blood ran cold, but Lance kept his expression mild and confused.

"What, uh, what's that got to do with _me_?"

"The quintessence," she said. "I thought I recognized it…"

"Um, Princess?"

 _Please_ , he begged mentally. _Please, please, please._

"When you were in the other mining shaft, did you see anyone? Did anything happen, Lance?"

She stepped forward, eyes seeing into his soul.

He held up his hands and backed away slightly, his heart beating fast.

"N-no…"

Allura frowned, but he could see that she believed him. It'd make sense, too — in her eyes, he was human. He didn't know a thing about quintessence.

"Perhaps Blue…"

She shook her head, looking more confused than before.

"Thank you, Lance," she said, clasping her hands in front of her. She pursed her lips. "…Are you alright?"

Lance rubbed at his face. He must've looked panicked.

"Fine."

Then he winked, hoping to take her attention off him.

"If you need anything, you know where to find me."

She huffed, and Lance laughed when she walked away, tossing her hair over her shoulder. They'd never been close, the two of them — their duties had never allowed it, but he'd admired her.

"Hey, Lance."

Shiro waved; Lance raised a hand and smiled.

"Shiro."

"You look tired," he commented, and Lance shrugged.

"Yeah," he said. "Think I'm gonna go back to the Castle. I could use a shower or two."

"Sounds like a good idea," Shiro said. "Go take a break. We worked hard today."

"See you."

Shiro caught his shoulder. "Lance, wait."

"Shiro?"

"What was Allura talking about? What did you do?"

Lance crossed his arms over his chest.

"I did what was needed," he answered.

"Lance… why?"

"The Balmera was dying," he said, "and I could do something about it. So I did."

The urge to leave hit him. Lance stepped back, expression closing off, and nodded.

"I'm gonna go."

Shiro nodded, and Lance turned on his heel and fled. He took Blue back to the Castle and wandered the halls until he'd calmed down a little.

Lance showered, feeling infinitely better after washing the blood and grime off his body. He studied his body in the mirror for a moment, rubbing his chest as pain flared there, and then put on a fresh set of clothes and left.

He ended up on the holodeck somehow, the elevator shutting quietly behind him.

As he walked in, the holodeck flickered to life, though Lance hadn't done anything.

"Talin."

Lance lifted his eyes to Alfor's face.

"Lance," he reminded gently. Alfor nodded.

"You've changed."

Lance took a step back, suddenly self-conscious. Alfor's eyes were piercing; they cut through him.

"Have I?" Lance asked lowly.

"Do you miss Altea?" Alfor suddenly asked, turning away and waving a hand nonchalantly. He paced forward, and Lance followed, not wanting to be rude.

"Of course."

"What a glorious place," Alfor said, voice distant. Discomfort stirred in Lance's gut.

"Yes, Majesty. I wish… I could go back."

"Hmm," Alfor hummed. "Perhaps…"

He turned suddenly, his expression grave. Lance twisted his fingers together and lowered his eyes in respect.

"Keep my daughter safe," he said, and Lance straightened his back. "And remember who you are loyal to."

A headache suddenly formed. He rubbed at his temples, hoping it would go away.

"I'm loyal to you," Lance answered softly. To Voltron.

The holodeck unraveled around them. There weren't juniberry fields, like he'd thought, but instead a grand city that rose above their heads, gleaming white. Overhead, clouds rolled in the sky, so real that Lance thought it would start raining any minute.

"A storm's coming," Alfor said. "You'd best be on guard."

"Yes, Majesty."

"Lance." Alfor reached forward, his hand resting on Lance's shoulder, though he felt nothing. "You must trust in your teammates. If you do not trust, you do not succeed."

"I…"

"If you do not trust," Alfor said again. "You do not succeed. Tread carefully, Talin. Storms are meant to be weathered."

Lance glanced up at the clouds and shivered.


	20. Chapter 20

**familiar  
** _chapter twenty_

* * *

The door behind him clicked shut. Lance lingered by it for a moment, scared to take another step; then the feeling fell away, and he walked further into the room.

He made his way to the bed and sat in it, fingers curling into the blanket he found there.

"I…" he started. His voice was too loud; he quieted and started again.

"I wish you were here."

If Am'lei's ghost remained, she didn't respond.

Lance hadn't been expecting a response, but his shoulders caved in anyway. He tugged the blanket up and wrapped it around himself, searching for a bit of warmth to cling to.

"I miss you," he said.

 _So do I,_ she would have said. His anam would've slid her fingers over his, would've pressed their foreheads together.

"I want you back," he continued. "I want— I want everything to go back to the way it was, and I want—"

He curled up, pressing his face against the pillow. A faint scent still clung to it, a remnant of the past sealed away in this quiet room, untouched for years. She'd always smelled like adane flowers, his sister's favorite.

"Don't cry, Lance," he told himself. "Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry…"

He had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep any noise from escaping.

All that he'd fought for, he'd lost in the end. Lance turned over, shaking.

Everything he'd had. Everything.

"I couldn't save you," he whispered. "I wasn't fast enough— wasn't - good enough. I couldn't save any of you. Not even Zarkon." Not even himself.

"I just want to go home."

His voice splintered.

Home. He'd lost his home. Lance had spent his time stumbling blindly in the dark, searching for something that hadn't been there.

Lance didn't know how long he stayed there, hiding himself from the world, but it was long enough to cry himself into a fitful sleep.

It was a thought that woke him. Lance forced himself awake, digging through his pockets to find the object he'd been saving. The memory cube.

After a moment's hesitation, Lance pressed a finger to the crystal in the center of the box and watched it light up. The hologram lit up, too, a pale, translucent blue that reminded him of water.

How had Nyma said to use it again?

 _…_ _bring up the memory and hold it in your mind for a while. It'll copy your memory and store it for you._

He rubbed his thumb over the little crystal embedded in the surface and its sharp, smooth edges.

Lance thought of Am'lei unwittingly. He hadn't meant to, but sitting in her room, surrounded by her presence — he couldn't help it. Her face appeared suddenly, lit up in a bright smile. Dark eyes stared out from a sharp, angular face. The hologram painted a sheen over her deep blue skin and highlighted the dark, skin-tight clothes she wore.

His hands shook a little, but he kept a steady grip on the memory cube.

"Am'lei," he said, voice hoarse.

She blinked back at him, so real he could've reached out and touched her.

"Lance," she said.

This wasn't anything more than a memory, Lance knew, but it didn't hurt any less. He rubbed at his chest.

He needed to stop thinking about her, needed to get rid of the tight feeling in his chest, the pressure in his lungs.

She reached out for him—

The hologram twisted and warped, the memory of Am'lei shrinking until she'd changed into Elolith. He stumbled back until his back met a wall, even though the memory cube remained in his hands. The vision kept shifting; every face made the blood in his veins burn.

Finally, it stopped, and the lava in his veins turned to ice.

Zarkon held out a gloved hand, his eyes warm. Lance screwed his eyes shut, sliding down the wall until he was curled up, knees brought up to his chest.

When he reopened them, Zarkon was still there. He was the Zarkon Lance remembered, the memory he couldn't quite seem to get rid of, no matter how hard he tried.

"Come on, Lance," he said, and the memory changed again.

The glint in Zarkon's eyes turned colder, but the look on his face was no less genuine. Around them, a scene unfolded — the Castle bridge rose to life in the form of navy floors and arching structures, glass windows that looked over a burning city and screens that flashed red with alarms.

"Stop," Lance said, pressing his hands over his ears.

He wondered how much the memory cube could do – if he looked down, would he see blood-stained armor in the place of what he was wearing. He didn't want to know, turning his gaze upwards.

Zarkon took another step forward. He sheathed his sword and let his bayard sink into his armor.

" _Stop_ ," Lance said louder, and he tossed the memory cube away. It slammed into the opposite wall, and the hologram immediately stopped, disappearing in a second. He panted, struggling to his feet and retrieving the memory cube. He ran a finger over the front again, tempted to think of Am'lei again; he wanted her comfort, wanted her next to him.

Instead, Lance took it over to Am'lei's desk, finding the top drawer and the safe box that was in it. He put his hand on the box; it clicked open, and he put the memory cube in it.

There was a small mirror on the desk; he peered into it, frowning at his red-rimmed eyes and pale skin.

A sudden beeping sound cut through his thoughts. He blanked out, looking for the search of the sound before realizing it was coming from the pocket of his jacket.

He stuck his hand in it, searching, and lifted out the small, oval-shaped communicator Nyma had given him. On the top, a little red light flashed.

He slid his hand across the tiny screen, and Nyma appeared in front of him, her face grim.

"Nyma," he greeted when he saw her. Lance hoped she couldn't make out how terrible he looked - or at least that she wouldn't say anything.

" _Lance_ ," she said, her shoulders slumping. She took in his expression. " _Is this— are you alright_?"

"Fine," he said shortly before she could say anything more. "What is it? I'm guessing this isn't just a social call."

" _I wish it was_ ," Nyma grumbled.

There was a loud curse in the background, and Nyma's image went grainy.

" _Ah, quiznak_ ," she hissed. " _Sorry, hold on_."

" _We need more cover_ ," Rolo yelled, voice loud but further away. " _If we get any closer, we'll be seen_."

" _There_!"

Lance waited, holding his breath as the two traders maneuvered themselves into a safer spot. He guessed they were deep in Galra territory or something akin to that - if seen and not recognized, they'd probably be shot down. Lance grimaced.

"Alright over there?" he asked when it seemed to quiet down.

" _We're alive, pretty boy_ ," Rolo called, sliding into view. Nyma appeared a moment later. They both looked tired and stressed but otherwise fine.

"Good to know," Lance said, offering him a smile.

" _Sure_ ," said Nyma. She and Rolo exchanged a dark look. In the background, Beezer whirred.

"What?"

" _About that info you wanted_ ," Nyma began. " _I've got something for you_."

Lance raised an eyebrow but didn't let his surprise show otherwise.

"Already?"

It'd only been - oh, probably two days since they'd run into Rolo and Nyma. He hadn't expected to hear anything so soon, though it was appreciated.

" _You're near that Balmera, aren't you_?" Rolo asked, taking a twig from his pocket and sticking it in his mouth. He chewed, tugging the twig so it snagged in his teeth.

Lance frowned.

"How do you know that?" he demanded.

Rolo shrugged. " _Heard you lot talking about it. We managed to fix up our ship, so we kind of just headed that way_."

Lance only grunted in response. He accepted the answer warily and nodded for them to keep going.

" _We're pretty close_ ," Nyma said, " _though we're still a ways off. Maybe a couple planets over - I'm not sure, since we had to hide on a nearby moon_."

" _I don't know what kind of information you want_ ," said Rolo. " _So you're getting what we can find. There's- well. We ran right into a Galra transport ship, escorted by a couple fighters_."

"A transport ship? What would they carry?"

Supplies, perhaps, to a colony. He didn't want to think about what else they would carry, but Nyma said it out loud anyway.

" _Slaves. Prisoners_."

" _That's not all_ ," Rolo broke in, and Lance's heart sank. " _I don't know what you did on the Balmera, but, uh, I don't think the Galra are happy about it. They've got eyes and ears everywhere, not to mention people. If our scanners are right, there's a couple ships coming your way_."

Lance rubbed at his temples, already feeling a headache beginning to form. He groaned.

"Thanks for the heads-up," he said. "I'll keep an eye out."

Nyma nodded. Lance headed to the table and found something to write with.

"Can you give me your coordinates?"

" _Beezer_ ," Nyma called.

There was a moment as they figured out. Then Nyma began to rattle off their coordinates and Lance wrote them down.

Halfway through, she paused, mouth opening and closing for a while.

"Nyma?"

"Lance."

The voice wasn't hers. He turned and found Coran in the doorway, light settled on his shoulders.

"Uh," Lance said. He made a panicked face, then continued. "Hey, Coran?"

It came out more suspicious than he'd have liked it to.

"What is this?" Coran asked, stepping inside. The door closed behind him.

"It's not what it looks like," Lance said, then paused. "Actually, it probably is."

" _Coran, isn't it_?" Rolo said smoothly into the silence that followed.

Coran crossed his arms, regarding them coolly.

"Rolo and Nyma, isn't it?"

Nyma nodded once. Lance pressed his lips together, looking between them.

"They're here to help," he said lowly, and Coran narrowed his eyes.

"Help with what, exactly?"

Lance recognized the tone of his voice and the set of his shoulders – and the protectiveness that laid in them, the wariness.

" _There's a transport ship and a fleet heading your way_ ," Nyma finally snapped, sensing the tension between them. She rattled off the rest of her numbers quickly; Lance jotted them down. " _I suggest you do something about it. Be careful, Lance._ "

He swallowed and nodded, inclining his head in goodbye.

"Thank you."

Nyma gave him a little salute before winking out. Lance stuffed the communicator back in his pocket.

"A fleet?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Lance replied. "With their communication network, they probably knew about the Balmera the moment we defeated the Robeast."

Coran scrubbed a hand over his face, looking tired. He seemed to understand a little more now.

"A network," he mused, opening the door. "I see you've started your own."

Lance felt his lips lift in a smile.

"Maybe," he replied, shrugging. "Maybe not."

They made their way down the hall together.

"Um," Lance said. "So… how should we explain _this_?"

He waved his hand vaguely, though there was no one around to eavesdrop on them.

"You won't tell them?"

Lance chose his next words carefully.

"They won't trust them," he said finally. "Not so soon."

"You have a point," Coran said. He thought about it for a moment, then led them a different way. "Come with me."

So early in the morning, the bridge was empty. Coran pulled up the Castle's scanners.

"I'm not sure we have the range," he said truthfully. "If the Galran ships are too far, we won't be able to detect them. Or the readings might be inconclusive."

"We have to try, anyway," Lance said.

It turned out that Coran was right. The Castle, though powerful, couldn't scan far enough to reach the fleet of Galran ships that Nyma and Rolo had informed him of. It wouldn't be long until they were, but Lance figured they needed the time to prepare.

They'd been given a head start, but they needed more. They needed more of an advantage, needed more information.

Coran plugged in the coordinates Lance had scribbled down. Nyma was right; she and Rolo weren't _too_ far off, but they were still rather far away.

"What do we do?"

He blinked.

"Why are you looking at me?" Lance asked.

"You're smart," Coran said, so bluntly that Lance stopped in surprise. He knocked his knuckles against the side of his head. "I bet you've got an idea already."

"Not a very good one," Lance mumbled.

Coran raised his eyebrows.

"I can go scout," Lance said after a moment. "Just me 'n Blue. We'll be back before anyone knows we're gone."

"You're right," said Coran. "That doesn't sound like a very good idea."

He shrugged.

"I told you so," he pointed out. "I'm not exactly the King of Good Ideas, Coran."

"The others—"

"The trade was between me and Nyma," Lance said firmly. "The others have no part in this."

He had no intention of letting the others know about the trade he'd made – not for a while, anyway. That was between them.

Another secret, Lance supposed. He sighed.

"I can keep an open link to the Castle," he said. "And you can get the others, too. I'm just scouting."

"Still," Coran said, frowning.

"We need to know what we're up against," Lance said, "and if we can really trust Nyma and Rolo. I want to go."

He needed the time alone. He needed to be with Blue, to get away from the Castle and everything and everyone in it.

"Whether you like it or not," Lance said. "I'm still going."

His mind set, he turned so he could go get his armor and leave. Coran gripped his arm with surprising strength.

"Lance—"

"I'll be fine," Lance said, shrugging him off. "Really, Coran. It's just a little flying. Nothing I can't handle."

"Lance," Coran said again. "I worry, that's all."

"Let me do this by myself," Lance pleaded. "I want to know that I can— that I'm useful for _something_ , at least."

They stared at each other for a long moment until Coran finally relented.

"An open link?"

Lance felt relief loosen his chest.

"Yeah," he said. "I'll keep my comms channel open and ready to report back what I see."

Coran nodded. He didn't seem to like the idea still, but he understood, at least.

"I just want to do something," Lance muttered. "I want to do this right, even if it's just a little scouting mission."

"You have done nothing wrong," Coran said. Lance looked away.

"Maybe," he said, but his heart wasn't in it. "I'll see you, Coran. Hold down the fort for me."

Blue was as great as ever. There was nothing but support when he slid into his seat and felt her purr under his touch.

"Thanks, Blue," he said. "Just doing some scouting. Nyma said there's some Galran ships headed towards us, so we'd better check it out to be safe."

"Besides," he added, smiling up at her. "That's more time I get to spend with you."

 _Mission_ , Blue reminded him, but he could feel her happiness. It was a welcome feeling, knowing the bond was there and still strong. Still tied to him, even when the others were gone.

Though they were on a mission, Lance let Blue lead as they bounded through the sky. The Balmera stretched out below them, more beautiful than Lance had originally thought.

"Can you believe it's alive?" Lance asked softly, gazing out at the red rocks. "Just like us."

Blue said nothing, but he felt her soul alongside his just the same. Then she pressed against him, tugging along the bond, and he let her. They became one easily, sinking into each other.

They circled through the sky over the planet once more before turning their eyes to the stars.

 _The coordinates_ , they thought.

Then they were off again, flitting through space. They dove towards a moon, speeding towards the ground until they pulled up sharply, executing it perfectly.

They flew along silver stone, tasting wind and sky and light.

A sound made them pause. A voice.

They wanted to play. They flicked their wrists, threw their head forward, but the voice came again, more insistent this time.

It was enough to bring Lance back to himself, slowly unraveling the place where both he and Blue existed until they were themselves again.

" _Lance_."

He rubbed at his neck.

"Coran."

" _You looked like you were having fun_ ," Coran said. He didn't look mad, though, so Lance smiled.

"Yeah," he said softly. "Sometimes, you just gotta _fly_."

It was time to be serious, though. They were well on their way to the coordinates Nyma had given, and they'd be there soon enough.

He suddenly wished he'd brought the memory cube with him. It'd have been a small comfort to have his family beside him, even if it hurt, even if they weren't really there.

" _What was it like_?"

"Huh?"

" _Aestus_ ," Coran said, and the word was like a punch in the gut. Lance bit his lip.

"You know what it was like," he said. "You've been there, haven't you?"

" _I want to know what it was like to you,_ " said Coran.

Lance glanced at Coran. Their eyes met briefly, and he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"There was so much—" he started. "The reefs, the cliffs, the caves… My sister, Celia — she loved the cliffs."

" _The cliffs_?"

"I loved them, too," Lance explained. "I taught her how to climb them, all the way to the top, the best places to explore, and then I taught her how to cliff dive. I think that was my favorite part, the cliff diving.

"From up there, you could look out forever. The sea and the sky would blur together. Celia always said she was scared, so I always jumped first. I think I loved it because it felt like flying."

Blue lit up under him, and he smiled. She suddenly made a warning noise, and he let the words die on his tongue.

The shadow of a moon passed over them. Lance made Blue slow, her jets shutting off so they could drift instead. On his dashboard, a red dot blinked — they'd arrived.

Lance found his communicator and flipped it on.

"Nyma?"

She responded in less than a second.

" _Lance,_ " she said.

"I came with Blue," he told her, "to the coordinates you gave me. Are you still there?"

" _Careful. We spotted a couple Galran ships passing by, so we decided to get out. The transport ship I told you about is by the next moon if you're looking for it._ "

He nodded. "Appreciated. Thanks."

They drew closer, keeping their distance from the surface of the moon. Blue's systems pinged as she focused on dark, angular shapes in the distance – ships, fighter jets by the look of them.

In the center was a larger ship Lance knew to be the transport ship. He mentally counted it and its escorts and found it to be a small fleet.

They weren't headed for the moon, though, but the planet the moon was orbiting, a small, grey thing that looked like it'd been made of dust.

"Closer," he said, and Blue obeyed. They shadowed the small group of ships; Lance memorized their formations, the look of them, even if it'd change.

" _How's it looking_?"

"With Galran ships? Never great," he replied.

" _Don't engage,_ " Coran said, and Lance made a noise of agreement. They drew closer and closer still, right on the ships' tail.

Why would the transport ship need escorts, though? There weren't many, but there weren't _few,_ either — Lance wondered what they were carrying. Another one of his bad ideas came to mind.

"Do you think we could find a way in, Blue?"


	21. Chapter 21

**familiar** _  
chapter twenty-one_

* * *

"Okay, Blue," he said. "Easy, girl."

His Lion hummed; she sang as they made another pass around the Galran fleet, searching for a way in.

He kept quiet, not wanting to reveal anything to Coran.

Around them, debris and rocks floated, dead weight in the empty space. Lance narrowed his eyes at them, and Blue twisted behind one of them, the two of them cast into darkness.

Quietly, without saying a word, Lance muted his channel, keeping the link between Blue and the Castle open but making sure Coran couldn't hear him.

"The speeder," he said to Blue. There was a whirring as the speeder detached from her mouth, the cockpit folding in on itself. He shot forward, the speeder separating completely, leaving the rest of Blue behind. She curled around him for a moment, body dwarfing the speeder, before shooting off in the distance.

Her mind brushed across his, and he caught a word, a feeling.

 _Heart_.

He sent back a questioning thought, but she had already gone far away from him.

"Blue?" he whispered into the dark.

 _Heart_ , she sent back, her voice distant and faint. _Heart._

"Okay," he said, turning his attention to other things. His own heart raced in his chest; Lance bit his lip and stared out towards the Galran fleet heading towards the moon.

The speeder was small, far smaller than Blue. It meant he could go unnoticed by other ships, meant he could slip in and slip out without anyone knowing.

Lance eyed the main ship. There was a landing dock on the top by the left side; he narrowed his eyes at it.

There weren't any guards outside, nor were there ships; Lance spotted a heavy door that blocked smaller ships from going in and out.

Still, there was a small bit of space to land, so Lance took the chance. The moon hung over them, dark in color, and he pressed a button on his dashboard. While nothing seemed to happen, he knew the outside was changing colors, going from a stark white to a deep black the color of the space between stars.

"One," he counted, watching the escort ships carefully. There were three in front leading it and two just below, tailing. If he was careful, and if he could come in at just the right angle, he'd make it without being seen.

"Two," Lance murmured to himself. "Three."

He shot forward, lining up his ship with the transport ship. The speeder rocketed forward, its flight smooth and silent, and Lance smiled.

The landing was about as well as he'd expected. A little rocky — Lance bounced a few times, gritting his teeth, but he'd managed to get it right.

He checked his armor a last time before knocking on the side of the speeder, the top opening up so he could get out.

Lance clambered out of the speeder, his movements deliberated. There was that strange feeling of stepping out into space, but he clung to the ship, his shoes sticking.

"Huh," he muttered to himself, gripping his bayard. The bay doors definitely wouldn't open for him, but—

Lance had a sudden thought. The Balmera.

He crept along the side of the ship, making sure he hadn't been seen, before examining the bay doors closely. His heart sank in his chest. Unlike the underground structures on the Balmera, this ship didn't have hand scanners. He couldn't shift like he'd done before, and even if he could've, the ship likely had a database for authorized personnel.

"Guess I'll have to find my own way in," Lance said to no one in particular. He eyed his bayard, wondering if he could cut a hole in the side of the ship and just drop it. It probably wasn't a great idea.

Lance circled around the ship, using his jetpack to fly alongside the surface in short bursts. There seemed to be an entrance on the opposite side, but it was guarded — he had to find some way to get in.

His chance came. It hadn't been from the sentries, like he'd expected, but instead a pod, small in size. A transport pod, most likely, or maybe a small authority, coming from the moon this one was headed towards.

Lance swore, running alongside the ship. He was probably too small to be noticed unless looked at closely, but his speeder wasn't. He managed to get it out of the way as the ship hailed the transport ship.

The bay doors opened; Lance moved his speeder and then darted on the tail of the entering pod. It was risky and stupid, but he didn't have the time to think.

His gaze cut across the room, and Lance hissed at the number of sentries waiting. He needed to hide, but there was nowhere to hide—

Footsteps. Lance looked around and then leapt up, clinging to the underbelly of the transport pod.

"Took you long enough." A deep voice echoed in the hangar, and Lance tensed as the pod opened, a small ramp dropping to the ground. He stayed in his position, not daring to move one inch.

"Patience."

That voice...

"Come," said the first speaker. Lance turned his head slightly and caught a glimpse of dark-colored boots; he frowned but stayed still.

The two Galra made their way deeper into the ship, and the sentries that were guarding the bay marched away. Lance dropped to the ground, sweat soaking the front of his shirt. He gripped his bayard tightly, the weapon silent as it turned into a familiar rifle.

"Let's see what you're up to," he mumbled, creeping out from his hiding place and into the open. Dark purple light filtered through the hangar; he shivered, his thoughts turning to Sendak unwittingly.

" _Lance_?"

His comms crackled, and Lance froze for a moment. Air caught in his lungs; a moment later, he released it, breath harsh.

"Coran?"

While he'd closed the channel between Blue and the Castle, he'd forgotten to close the one from his comms. A stupid mistake, but it was too late now.

" _Lance, what's going on? Where are you_?"

He bit his lip, continuing to sneak out of the hangar and into the hallways of the Galran ship. A two-sentry patrol marched past, and he dove out of the way, holding his breath until he passed.

What did he say? Was Lance supposed to lie, or would he tell Coran the truth - that he'd left Blue alone to come here? It meant both of them were vulnerable; Blue had no pilot, and Lance was a single paladin on an enemy ship.

"Don't worry about it," he said instead. "I'm just— investigating. Like I said I would."

Nyma had warned him that this ship might've been a slave ship, something that made the blood under his skin boil in red-hot anger. But his gut told him it wasn't. This was no ordinary ship— he could feel it in his bones, could taste it in the air that there was something on this ship that he needed to know more about.

Lance blocked out Coran's flurry of questions as he began his hunt. He stumbled across a long, dark hallway that was lined with what looked like glass on either side. With a start, he realized they were cells - rows and rows of them, every one of them empty. With a sick sense of relief, Lance crept deeper and deeper into the ship. His body thrummed with energy. He kept himself vigilente and aware of his surroundings, jumping at the slightest of sounds.

It was after a labyrinth of hallways that Lance finally found the storage room. He stood in the main hull of the ship, tucked away in a dark corner, and watched carefully as Galra came in and out. Some of them were pushing boxes large enough to fit Lance three times over; others were carrying tall glass containers that were filled with a glowing substance.

He needed to get a closer look. Lance needed to know what was in those—

There were too many people, though, too many to risk it. He'd be caught the moment he stepped foot through the door.

" _Lance_."

Coran's voice in his ear cut through his thoughts.

Lance startled, hand lifting towards his helmet as he shrank back, his other hand lifting his gun by instinct.

"What is it?"

" _Lance, I don't know what you're doing, but you need to get out of there. You're on the ship, aren't you_?"

Lance pressed his lips into a thin line.

"Yeah," he said after a moment. "Coran, listen, there's something on this ship I think you should see—"

"What is it?"

"I..." Lance hesitated, gaze fixed on the glass containers. The substance in them glowed a bright yellow; Lance wasn't sure why, but he was drawn to it. He wanted to open a case and touch it, though that never turned out well.

"I'm not sure," he said eventually. He retreated into the distance, biding his time. He'd have to see if there was a way he could get in, but alone and with no help, it was hard.

" _Can you take a picture and send it to me? I'll have a look_ ," Coran replied. " _I can put it through the Castle's scanners, too, if you give me a tick_."

"Sure," he said, pressing a button on the side of his helmet. There was a bit of light as his helmet processed what he was seeing; Lance sent the feed to Coran and then turned on his heel and slipped back into the shadows. It would do no one good if he was caught.

" _Curious_ ," Coran said after a moment. " _That's— strange_."

"What is it?"

 _"I'm not entirely sure," Coran answered, but he sounded hesitant, like he knew more than what was going on. "It appears to be, well— I've never seen anything like it..._ "

"Coran," Lance hissed through gritted teeth. "You don't-"

He was cut off by more approaching sentries. Lance pressed himself flat against the wall, doing his best to stay out of sight. He couldn't stay here; it was too busy, and the risk was too high.

Instead, he retreated, slinking into a hallway that branched off of the one he was in.

He took a couple of seconds to catch his breath, sliding down against the wall. Lance reached out with his mind, searching for Blue's presence.

 _Blue?_

She rumbled, and the sound was comforting. She was close, but there was nothing she could do but wait for him.

Lance pressed his lips together, deep in thought.

The smart choice was to leave now. He'd gotten a visual on the transport ship. There were other things to be done, and it wasn't safe without backup on hand.

Lance wasn't smart, though. He had a bit of common sense most of the time, could figure things out if given enough time and resources, but there was none of that here.

"Coran," he said, voice low. "Are you there?"

" _Yes, Lance_." There was a distant, muffled sound that Lance couldn't quite make out. " _Lance, are you still on the ship? I've gotten your feed— you should leave now, immediately_."

"I... can't," said Lance, voice strangled. "Coran, this is our chance. We can find out what that stuff is, how they did it. What they're doing with it.

" _Lance, it's too dangerous. You're alone, Lance._ "

"I know," he said. "I know, I know. But still—"

He followed a different path this time, taking another route that wound back and forth. Lance circled through the ship until he found himself back in the storage rooms, where they were still loading the glass canisters.

"What to do..."

" _Get out of there_."

Lance muted Coran. He didn't close the link - he wasn't stupid enough to do that, no - but Coran's words would only distract him. Now was the time for a plan.

Far above his head, a vent sat in the wall, the grate taunting him. Lance eyed it. It was too far for him to jump, but if he was careful—

Lance steadied himself and counted a few beats, waiting for the next round of sentries to leave the room before he used his jetpack to shoot straight up. He clung to a ledge and yanked the grate out, his fingers smarting with pain, before crawling in.

It was, in a word, cramped.

Lance had always been a tall person. Tall and broad-shouldered, which meant he didn't fit as well into the vents as, say, Pidge did. Still, Lance managed to squeeze through.

Even if he did fit in the vents, the feeling of walking through them was strange. Lance stumbled along, making more noise than his brother would've at mealtimes. It was a miracle no one had found him yet. Lance knew that if he were caught, he'd be dead in a heartbeat.

He followed the vents above the storage room itself. Lance peered through the cracks, pressing his face close to the grate to get a better look.

"Coran," he murmured, absentmindedly turning his sound back on. "Are you seeing this?"

He sent his feed to Coran.

The walls were lined with shelf after shelf of glowing canisters. They cast a strange, eerie glow in the room that made Lance unsettled, the hairs on the back of his neck rising.

In the center stood two figures, one hooded, the other not. Lance narrowed his eyes at them, fingering his bayard.

The two Galra spoke, their heads together; Lance couldn't hear the words, but the lilt of their voices sounded familiar. They were the ones he'd seen earlier when he'd snuck in.

The hooded figure swept an arm out, and their companion took a visible step back.

"What the—" Lance started.

He cut himself off as the Druid waved a hand over a canister. The bright yellow dulled, turning into a murkier color. Lance licked his lips, his mouth suddenly dry.

A second later, the Druid's head lifted, turning in his direction. Lance caught his breath as they looked straight at him. Even from so far away, even through the mask, Lance knew he'd been seen.

"Coran," he said, the world gone quiet around him.

The Druid lifted their arm towards him.

"Greetings to our guest," they said, tinny voice carrying in the small room.

The other Galra turned, cocking his head.

"Guest?"

Though there was a mask, Lance swore the Druid smiled.

"Care to join us?"

The vent collapsed beneath him. Lance scrambled, fingers brushing metal as he fell.

He curled up, tucking his knees to his chest in time to hit the floor and roll. Lance crouched, bayard in hand as light flared, gun and shield forming in seconds.

"The Blue Paladin," the Galra said, lips turning up into a cruel smile.

Lance said nothing in reply, instead readying his weapon. He was at a disadvantage: two against one, with a Druid facing him. If he wasn't careful, he'd be fried— or worse.

"I wonder what you're doing here. And _alone_ , I see."

"None of your business," Lance spat, brandishing his gun as the Galra moved closer. The Druid hovered in the back, unmoving.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the Galra said, lifting his chin. "I am Commander Tarkir. Welcome to my ship."

"Can't say it's a pleasure, unfortunately," Lance replied. "You know what. Uh, actually, as much as I'd like to stay and party, I've got other things to do. I'm a busy guy, you know? I've got girls to flirt with, uh, planets to save—"

"Is that so?" Tarkir asked, a sword appearing from nowhere.

Lance's mouth ran dry. He inched towards the door.

"Yeah, no, man, I have places to be," he said. "I guess you wouldn't understand. I mean, you _definitely_ haven't landed any dates lately."

"I'm afraid I cannot let you go. Emporer Zarkon would be most pleased if we were to bring him a gift."

Lance raised his shield to block Tarkir's sword when he realized the Druid behind him had disappeared. The hairs on the back of his neck rose, a heavy gaze at his back—

Energy slammed into his unprotected back, and Lance flew forward, vision tinted. He recovered, rolling to his feet and blocking the next bolt with his shield, light crackling across the surface.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tarkir press a button — never a good sight. An alarm began to blare.

Lance leapt behind a few of the canisters as guards rushed in, guns at the ready. A round of fire hit the canisters in front of him, and the glass exploded, the liquid inside pouring out.

He stumbled, raising his shield again.

" _Lance_!"

The cry was echoed tenfold in his mind. He fell, hands scraping against glass and the strange liquid.

Lance's fingers tingled. His hands turned cold, and under his skin, his blood froze into ice.

He felt suddenly re-energized, the pain from his hands and the Druid's hit fading. Lance stood in the shattered glass and retaliated, picking off guard after guard.

There was a humming in the air, the only warning Lance got. He turned in time to catch the Druid's blast, forcing him back across the ground.

"Haggar will be pleased," they said, voice muffled by the mask. Lance swallowed at the name, and the Druid caught the spark of recognition that flashed across his face.

"You are not fit for a Champion," they hissed, "but you will do well—"

Lance fired.

The Druid disappeared in a flash of smoke, reappearing in front of him. Lance was hit again and again, thrown back against the wall, his entire body aching. He slowly dragged himself up.

There was a distant roar, followed by another, then another.

Lance staggered as the ship seemed to tilt sideways. Was it the ship, or was it just him? Lance's head spun, and he braced a hand against the wall, panting.

" _Hey, Lance_ ," Pidge said over the comms. " _Sorry we're late to the party._ "

"Nah," he said, steadying himself and facing the Druid again. "The party's only just begun."

* * *

 **Happy anniversary, Voltron!**


	22. Chapter 22

**familiar** _  
chapter twenty-two_

* * *

" _What_ ," Keith growled, " _were you thinking_?"

Despite himself, Lance laughed.

"I thought that was Shiro's line."

The fearless leader himself cut in. " _Where are you_?"

"Uh," Lance said, but a bolt striking the area above his head cut him off. He dropped and then ran for it, swearing as the Druid followed.

" _Lance?_ "

"I'm fine," he called, eyes focused on the exit. There was a crackling sound; Lance ducked to the left in time to avoid another bolt. The next shot hit his back. Lance fell, wincing at the pain emanating from below his neck. The armor couldn't block everything.

"Uh, less fine."

" _Lance, do you know where you are_?"

He shot at the Druid, hitting thin air as they teleported away over and over. Lance snarled, frustrated.

" _Coward_ ," he hissed, taking out a few guards instead. "You _coward_."

Lance couldn't stop thinking of Haggar, her face emotionless as she'd stood behind Zarkon. The two of them had towered over him, gods of a new era.

The exit was free, but Lance stood his ground instead of fleeing. At his side, his bayard flickered; he willed it to keep its form and tracked the Druid.

"You want a fight?" the Druid asked.

They appeared in front of him before Lance could even blink and shoved, sending him backwards. He fired off a few rounds and then grinned, waving when he realized he'd been tossed out the exit.

"Thanks for the push," he said, spotting a scanner by the door. His hand burned as fur sprouted from his skin. Claws grew from his fingers. "Uh, bye!"

The door shut as he put his hand on the scanner, and Lance slumped against the wall in relief. He returned his hand to normal, his skin prickling as the fur disappeared.

"Lance!"

His head snapped up, and there Pidge was. He vaulted across the hall to Lance, Rover trailing not far behind.

Lance smiled.

"Hey, Pidge."

"You're okay," said Pidge, and a bit of relief shone through his voice. He reached out and touched Lance's arm, like he didn't quite believe Lance was real.

Then he narrowed his eyes. "Don't think I'm not going to yell at you."

Lance felt his lips pull into a grin. He reached out and ruffled Pidge's hair.

"I'd expect nothing less, Pidgey," he said, name rolling off his lips, and Pidge glared at him.

Next to them, Rover whirred, reminding them where they were with a sharp, short beep.

"Right," Pidge said. The tip of his bayard seemed to glow brighter.

"Update," he continued. "I've got our resident idiot. We're good to go."

" _Roger that,_ " Hunk replied, " _and good, because this place is giving me the heebie-jeebies._ "

" _Pull out and head for your Lions. Don't engage unless needed._ "

There Shiro was — calm as ever, keeping his thoughts out of the way until they were all safe and accounted for. Lance found an odd sense of comfort in it.

"Yes, Shiro," they said at once.

"Come on," Pidge said. "This way."

Lance grabbed Pidge's hand, small and warm through the thin glove. They ran together down the hall, twisting and turning. Lance was glad for the space to move, thankful Pidge hadn't suggested going in the awful vents again.

Blue rumbled. She was waiting for him with her sisters.

The hallway suddenly seemed to darken. Both paladins stumbled to a stop as a dark, oily fog surrounded them. Pidge gripped Lance's hand tighter.

"What's—"

"—going on?"

"Keep your bayard ready," Lance murmured. He could see the purple lights of the ship filtering through the fog, but it wasn't much.

"Run all you want," a voice croaked.

"Oh, shit," Lance said.

"You know this guy?" Pidge asked as they pressed back-to-back, Pidge's shoulders digging into his armor.

"Druid."

"Oh," Pidge said eloquently. "Well, shit."

" _Don't engage,_ " Shiro said. " _Try to get out of there if you can. I'm headed your way._ "

Through the comms, Shiro's voice sounded faraway, and Lance thought he heard thick panic coating his words.

"The walls," Pidge whispered, and they stayed close to the walls, following them forward and deeper into the fog. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the fog disappeared, replaced by a hooded figure.

Lance hoisted his gun higher, letting go of Pidge's hand so he could fire.

"Sorry, Shiro," Pidge said before using his own bayard.

With the two of them against one, it was fairly even. Lance and Pidge managed to hold their ground, keeping the Druid's attention divided.

Pain arced up his back, but he suppressed it, finger curling around the trigger.

"Left," Pidge yelled, and Lance dove to the left, avoiding a blast.

"Let's get out of here!" Lance cried, raising his shield, but they were stuck.

A blinding bolt from the Druid's hands sent them in opposite directions, pitching Pidge forwards as Lance leapt back. He eyed the hall, dizzy.

"Lance!"

A hundred things happened at once. Pidge turned back to face Lance, hand outstretched. There was a flash of lightning.

Lance surged forward, but he wasn't fast enough. A wordless shout left his mouth, and then Rover was there. The blue-green light of its eye flickered as it was hit, and then there was a clattering sound as Rover hit the ground.

"No!" Pidge yelled, charging the Druid, but they disappeared.

"No," Pidge said again, staring at the spot where the Druid had stood. Then he stepped back, scooping up Rover in his hands. The metal had blackened; other parts had turned an ugly brown.

Lance staggered forward, unsure of what to do. His mouth was dry, and his head was still spinning. He wasn't exactly sure what had happened, only that it had.

So close, he could see Pidge trembling with rage.

"I'll- I'll…"

"Pidge." The name was heavy on his lips. He hated his next words. "Pidge, we have to go."

"Rover—"

Lance wrapped an arm around the smaller boy. He was still shaking; his eyes were glassy as he stared at Rover's empty shell. Pidge rubbed at his eyes, and his lips trembled.

The incessant pounding of a death march echoed in the hallway. Lance wiped at his own tears with a hand and gritted his teeth.

"We have to go," he said again, voice soft. "We have to… Rover saved us, Pidge."

Pidge sniffled.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I—" started Pidge. "I'm not, like… just— back on Earth. My dog's name is Rover, and I just want…"

Lance swallowed.

"Pidge…," he started, but he wasn't sure what to say.

He took Pidge's hand instead, and they took a step forward, then another.

Pidge cast a dark, fleeting look at the spot where the Druid had been, and then turned away. Light gleamed off his glasses.

" _Pidge? Lance? Are you okay?_ "

"Yeah," Lance answered for the both of them. "We're… okay. The Druid's gone."

" _Good_."

"Heading to our Lions," Lance said, pulling Pidge along, "but I think there's a squadron or something on our trail."

"This way," Pidge croaked, and they took a turn that led straight to a wall. Lance opened his mouth, about to ask why they were facing a wall, when the entire ship shuddered.

A head burst through the wall. Green's eyes glowed brightly; Blue followed suit.

"Oh," Lance said faintly, and Pidge's lips twitched upwards.

"Lance and I are out," he said, clearing his throat.

" _Same on my side,"_ Hunk replied.

" _Red's here._ "

" _Everyone, retreat. If the Galra follow us, evade them— Princess, if you could be ready to open a wormhole if we can't lose them. I don't want to bring them to the Castle._ "

" _On standby, Shiro,_ " Allura replied.

"You alright?" Lance asked in a low voice, catching Pidge's elbow.

"I'll be okay," he replied, and Lance gave him a long, hard look before nodding.

Lance climbed into his Lion. He patted Blue's dashboard, and they flew back to the bay doors and retrieved the speeder he'd left. The doors opened, ship after ship lined up, and Lance booked it.

"Let's get out of here."

Yellow dove to his left, and Blue followed, the two Lions dodging the Galra ships that had appeared. Green wasn't far behind.

They led the Galra on a chase around the moon, pulling close to the surface one second and climbing in space the next.

" _I'm opening a wormhole_ ," Allura told them, and Lance murmured his affirmations.

He was more than glad to be out of danger from the Galra. Blue tore through the wormhole, following Green, and Lance finally relaxed when it closed behind them.

Lance sat in the hangar for a moment, listening to Blue purr. He ran his fingers over the controls.

"They came for me," he whispered.

Blue's response came slowly, washing in like the tide.

 _Heart_ , she said. _Trust. *_

He thought of the look on Pidge's face when he'd seen Lance. _You're okay._

"I messed up," Lance said, "and they still came for me."

 _They are your team_.

" _Lance_?"

" _Okay in there, bud_?"

"Yeah," he said, standing up. He rested a hand on his seat. "Thank you, Blue."

Lance braced himself before exiting. The others were already waiting for him, some looking happier than others. He swallowed.

"Lance."

Allura was the first to speak. Lance lowered his head at the tone in her voice.

She let his name linger for a moment before continuing.

"What you did was irresponsible. Not only that, but it was reckless and dangerous."

He chewed on his lip. "I know."

"You put yourself in danger."

Lance nodded slowly. Still, his defenses rose. He'd only done what he'd thought was right, as reckless as it'd been.

"You are a paladin of Voltron," Allura finished, "and every action you make affects not only yourself, but your team and the universe."

His lips drew into a line.

"I know," he snapped back. "That's why I did it."

To Allura's right, Keith looked right at him. His dark eyes reflected understanding. He gave Lance a short nod, and Lance knew that Keith would've done the same.

"I am not mad because—" Allura began, her tone sharp. She closed her eyes. Breathed in once.

"I am not mad because you wanted to gain possibly useful information."

The other paladins were silent, watching the two of them. Lance ran his tongue over his teeth, still defensive.

"I'm here," said Lance, "and don't worry, I don't think I'll be doing it again—"

"You don't understand," Allura responded, stepping forward. She grabbed his armor and pulled him closer; her eyes were shining, and Lance suddenly realized her voice was shaking.

"We could have _lost you_ ," she said, stepping back.

Lance suddenly felt heavy.

"I…"

 _Heart._

"Okay," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

Shiro spoke up. "Are you hurt?"

Lance rolled his shoulders, and his back twinged in pain.

"Maybe a bit," he said, and Coran stepped forward, taking charge easily. He put a warm hand on his shoulder.

"We'll have you in and out of a pod before you can blink," he said.

Lance twisted to face Pidge.

"Pidge—"

"It's okay," he said, voice watery. He cast his eyes downward for a moment and then lifted his gaze back to meet Lance's.

"Don't," Lance said, aware of the eyes on them. "Don't blame yourself."

It was only when Pidge nodded that he let himself be swept away.

Hunk trailed behind as Lance was led to the med bay, worrying as he always did. He talked at a million miles per hour, and Lance's chest grew warm at the concern.

He gripped Hunk's arm before stepping into the pod.

"See you soon."

The next time Lance woke, it was to see the rest of the team gathered in a group. He stumbled over and draped his arms around the nearest paladins — Hunk and Pidge.

Pidge and Coran were holding clocks, comparing what Lance assumed to be ticks and seconds.

"What is this, a clock party?"

Hunk's brow furrowed. "Lance, you ruined— oh! Lance!"

He was brought into a bear hug.

"Are you hungry? Up to talking about what happened?"

"Like a date?"

"I'm leaving," Pidge said.

"There he is," Shiro said, sighing, but he smiled. "Come on."

No one spoke after Lance had finished talking about his mission. They crowded around the table, silent.

"Um," said Pidge. He swallowed audibly. "I want to… say something."

"Speak your mind, Pidge," Allura said.

"I'm…," Pidge paused, licking his lips. "I'm a girl."

The world snapped in and out of focus.

"Oh," said Coran. "That's it?"

"Figured," Hunk said. "I mean, I read your diary, dude—"

"Same," Keith said, then held up his hands. "Figured it out, I mean. Not the, uh, diary part. You can kill Hunk."

"Hunk!"

"Keith!"

Lance squinted at Pidge. "Wait, what? You're— a girl?"

He hadn't ever realized, hadn't ever stopped to think about it. Now that he looked at Pidge, he could see it. She—

"Oh," he murmured. "Uh, cool?"

Pidge beamed at them.

"Owning who you are will make you a better paladin," Shiro said, voice proud.

He considered the thought, and his chest tightened in fear.

"If that's all, then—"

"Wait," Lance said, setting down his spoon so no one would see how shaky his hand was. The mice scampered to the edge of the table, squeaking, and he petted them, using the feeling of soft fur under his fingers as an anchor.

"Lance?"

 _Trust_ , Blue said to him, and he took a deep breath. _We were built of trust, you and I._

Another breath, steady and slow. Lance looked at Pidge, her eyes serious but bright, a weight lifted from her shoulders. She, her, secrets laid bare. He, him, two-faced, too scared.

"If it's confession time," he said, "then I guess I've gotta come clean, too."

"What next," Keith began, laughing a little. "Wait. Let me guess – you're an alien."

Silence met Keith's joke. His laugh faded when Lance didn't answer, choosing instead to pull the goblet of water closer to him.

"…Lance?" Hunk asked, his voice confused and a little bit lost.

He stared at his watery reflection, at the unmarked skin under his eyes, at the rounded ears he'd grown to find quite endearing. Something under his skin thrummed.

"I'm not," he said, struggling to get the words out, "human."

"What?" Allura whispered.

He glanced up long enough to catch Coran's gaze and the advisor's nod of reassurance. Blue purred.

"I'm not human," he said again, stronger this time.

"You _what_?" Pidge cried, slamming her hands on the table as she stared at him. "Dammit, couldn't let me have my moment, could you?"

Lance choked on a laugh.

Hunk blinked at him, long and slow, and Lance watched him, holding his breath.

Finally, he said, "Dude, my best friend is an _alien_. That's… wow, okay… _wow_."

Shiro processed it for a moment but nodded, putting a hand on Lance's shoulder. He smiled.

"Thank you for telling us," he said, his voice nothing short of kind. He gave away nothing, careful not to say that he'd already known. "For trusting us with this."

There was only acceptance: in the hand on his shoulder; in the curious, bright eyes that looked back at him; and in the slightly-awkward but genuine smile.

Lance's eyes burned. There was suddenly a lump in his throat; he swallowed, trying to get rid of it.

"I… what?" Allura said, putting a hand on her chest. He wilted under her gaze.

"Princess," he said softly. "It's me…"

"Impossible," she whispered.

"My name is Talin—"

"You're fucking kidding me," Keith said. He threw his hands up. "You're _serious_?"

"Now, now," Coran began, waving his hands.

The relief that had bubbled in his chest now turned to stones that sank to his stomach. His fingers tightened around the water goblet, and he stared at the small, circular reflection of himself, eyes stinging.

"You… Zarkon… I thought you were dead."

Allura turned and narrowed her eyes at Coran, who had stepped closer to Lance.

"You knew," she stated, less of a question and more of an accusation.

Coran looked at her levelly even as Lance shrank into himself, hating the way she kept glancing at him, how Keith's face now carried a frown and a crease between his brows. He wasn't sure if he hated himself more for keeping the secret.

"I knew," Coran replied, his tone neutral.

"And you didn't say anything?" Keith yelled, jabbing a finger forwards in the general direction of Lance.

His insides turned cold.

He should've expected this, though. He'd known _someone_ would resent him for it – he'd been lying to them for a long, long time. He'd gone from their teammate, from someone to be trusted (even if he hadn't quite trusted them) to…

Well, he supposed, to someone they barely knew at all.

"Should I have?" Coran asked in the same tone, but he was quieter, slightly more controlled.

Lance felt trapped. The hand on his shoulder had become a lot heavier, and the table was too close, and there were too many people, and the anger and tension that had boiled under the surface was so thick he wasn't sure he could breathe, and–

"You- you guys are the ones telling us that we need to be a team, that we have to… to trust each other and whatever, that we have to understand each other to form Voltron–"

"Coran, I cannot believe you kept this from me–"

Pidge slammed her hands on the table again, the plate in front of Lance rattling.

"I'm sorry, so when is _Voltron_ more important than the– the, ugh, the, I don't know, mental health or–"

"Since the universe was a lot bigger than just us–"

Shiro squeezed his shoulder gently then stepped into the fray, raising his voice.

"Everyone needs to calm down," he cut in, but it was already too late.

Pidge and Keith were at each other's throats, a sight that would've been comical if Lance hadn't been on the verge of a breakdown. Allura fumed quietly, talking in furious tones with Coran, who had his arms crossed over his chest.

"Trust is something that must be earned," Coran stressed to all of them.

" _Trust_ –"

Hunk slipped between them, an unmovable human wall, his words quiet but intense. Lance shook in his seat, unable to move as the argument continued.

"Please," Lance whispered, but his voice was a dying candle caught in the midst of a harsh storm.

"And what about me? How is my being a girl different than him being, like, an alien? If you were as mad at me as you are about him–"

"He lived–" came Allura's voice. "All this time, he was alive, and Zarkon…. _Zarkon_ —"

"This is different–" Keith's biting tone.

"How did–"

The dining hall had become, in a word, chaos. Complete and utterly unhinged chaos.

Lance's chest had locked up, his lungs and throat tight. He should've told them at the beginning, but he'd been too much of a coward to say a word.

The first tear made its way down his face. And then Lance was crying again, his sobs silent and unnoticed in the midst of the fight.

"Why do you hate him so much?" A voice cut through the din. Lance wasn't sure whose it was, but the words echoed in his mind. "He hasn't done anything wrong!"

"No one here _hates_ Lance, alright–"

Something fragile in him cracked a little, then split at the seams.

Lance stood, his chair scraping back as he pounded the table with his fists loud enough that everyone quieted for a moment. He stared at them, this team of misfits, tears dripping down his face.

"Don't you think I hate myself enough?"

From his grief stemmed anger, and beneath it, hatred.

Shiro, the closest to him, was the first to move, stepping forward as he took in the words and Lance's hiccupping sobs.

"Lance," he said quietly, holding a hand out – to comfort him, to placate him, or to hurt him, Lance didn't know.

He shook as he stumbled back, knocking the chair down. It clattered.

"I'm sorry," he said slowly. "I didn't do enough, I wasn't… the blood on my hands…"

" _No_ , Lance–"

"–and maybe I'm not meant to be a paladin."

He took a shuddering breath and continued.

"If you really don't want me here, I'll leave."

Lance wrapped his arms around himself and cried ugly, heaving sobs that shook his bones. There was a stunned silence that followed his words.

No one disagreed. No one said a word to contradict him, to ask him to stay. In his head, he saw himself facing Zarkon and losing. Again, and again, and again.

 _Heart_ , Blue called, soft and gentle and welcoming. Loving, though he'd done everything wrong, though he'd messed up in all the worse ways.

No one spoke when he whirled around and ran, tearing through the castle towards the hangar, the world falling apart around him.

"Lance!"

Blue was waiting for him, as she always was.

"Lance, wait!"

The instance Lance hurtled into the cockpit, Blue snapped her mouth shut and brought her particle barrier up, energy arcing around them.

" _Lance_ –"

"Blue," he whispered. She wrapped her mind around his, protective and calming.

 _My paladin,_ she hummed, and he shook his head. _My paladin._

"I thought…"

Lance pressed his hands to his face and shuddered.

 _Trust._

"They came for me, Blue," he said. "I thought…"

She spoke into his mind, quiet and calm, but she seemed to realize Lance wouldn't listen. Instead, Blue let him mourn silently, the lights in the cockpit dimming.

"Was I stupid?" he asked Blue. "To want the team to be—"

She only hummed sadly, and Lance closed his eyes.

Here, with Blue, was as close to home and family as he'd ever get.


	23. Chapter 23

**familiar**  
 _chapter twenty-three: interlude_

* * *

"Pidge," Hunk pleaded for what must have been the hundredth time. "Pidge, come on…"

Hunk's voice was soft and sad; the look on his face made Keith's stomach turn. But Pidge was still glaring at him, her mouth drawn in a line and her fists clenched by her side.

"Don't you see what you've _done_?" she spat, and Keith stepped forward, anger boiling under his skin.

"Keith," Shiro cut in sharply, stepping between them. Neither his face nor voice gave anything away, but Keith could see the unhappy line of his shoulders, read them as easily as he did maps.

"What _I've_ done?"

Shiro gave him a warning look, but Keith stepped forward.

"He _lied_ to us!"

"Keith," Shiro said, grabbing his arm. His grip was firm, but Keith knew it was loose enough that he could get free. "Keith, take a walk."

"But—" he started. Shiro gave him another look, the hand on his arm slackening, and Keith bit back his words and spun on his heel. He stormed off, the dying embers of his anger on his tongue.

"You, too, Pidge," he heard Shiro say distantly. Keith squeezed his hands into fists and didn't look back.

He let his feet lead him.

Keith found himself at the training deck first, two steps in before he remembered Lance at his back in a training exercise, the two of them shielding each other. He stumbled back and left.

He couldn't stop thinking about Lance, how every room seemed to be soaked with his presence.

Keith fled from the memories and turned to Red's hangar. She was distant, her force field bathing the room in pale red light.

"Red," he said, choking on the name. He pressed a hand against the force field and silently begged her to let him in. "Red, _please_."

She did nothing, and Keith tried to ignore how much that hurt, his Lion rejecting him.

"Please, Red," he tried again.

Still, Red made no move to let him in. Keith rested his forehead against the barrier, sighing.

"I just... I thought we were friends," he confessed, and Keith hated the words, hated the way he said them, voice hoarse and a little broken. "I thought we were friends, I thought that finally I could have a place to belong and people I could trust, and Lance—"

Lance wasn't even his name.

He bit his lip, swallowing back a sob.

"I wanted to trust him."

When his Lion gave no response, Keith slammed his palm against the barrier and then gave it a hard kick. It didn't move, but it did make him feel a bit better.

"Fine," Keith yelled, kicking at Red's barrier again. A sharp pain emanated from his foot, but he didn't care.

And then she moved, stretching out like a cat and then gazing down at him solemnly. Through his own pain and anger, he could feel faint grief, but he didn't know why Red was mourning.

The anger drained from him as quickly as it had come.

Red's eyes glowed brighter, and Keith blinked. The room around him rippled, and Keith lost his emotions to awe as the colors seemed to leak from his surroundings. It was like the hangar had been painted in monochrome, or perhaps with a touch of color.

The door opened. Keith jumped, expecting the intruders to notice him, but the two figures at the door barely looked twice.

This wasn't real, Keith realized. It was a memory.

As the two people got closer, he recognized one of them. It was Lance, garbed in a rather simple tunic and pants, over which was a robe of midnight blue. And when he stopped, Keith spotted the long, pointed ears and blue markings under his eyes.

Lance didn't look as different as Keith thought he would.

The other person was an alien taller than Lance was. She was pretty, he supposed, but she radiated a sort of confidence that made Keith take a step back.

"Why are you showing me this," Keith said, looking around. His voice was trembling. "Let me go."

The girl kept talking. He watched her lips moved, watched the way her narrow eyes lit up, watched it all.

He didn't want to see this. He didn't want what Red was showing him: memories of Lance and his teammate, the two of them so easy around each other.

Keith didn't want to see what he and Lance would've been with no lies and no secrets between them.

"Let me go," he said again, tired, and the memory dissolved. Keith took a step away from Red, then another, his chest suddenly tight.

"I can't forgive him," he told Red, tucking his shaking hands into his pockets. "Not yet."

Red stared back at him, those mechanical eyes boring into his own.

When she said nothing else, Keith took a few stumbling steps back and left. He bit his lip to keep any sound from escaping and ducked his head so no one would see his face if he ran into anybody.

He was lucky enough not to.

Keith had no idea where anyone had gone after the explosion at dinner. Shiro had probably taken charge to let everyone cool down, but he hadn't seen Lance since he'd run out.

The thought left him both feeling a sick sense of relief and guilt.

He shoved the thoughts away and kept wandering, taking hallways he'd never explored before. Eventually, he decided to take the elevator and was pleased to see a tall, empty room.

In the center of the room was a large circular platform. It was plain, with panels along the side and a glittering surface that was emitting a soft light. Keith approached cautiously, not sure about what he was seeing.

On the main panel was a bunch of buttons, Altean writing beneath them. Keith squinted at them, then shrugged and pressed a random button, hoping nothing would blow up.

Nothing happened for a moment.

Keith shrugged and was about to turn to leave when light burst from the platform, gathering together to form a person. Keith's eyes trailed up the figure, following a too-familiar suit of armor.

His.

"Hello," the girl said when their eyes met. They were an interesting shade of purple, almost pink; when she smiled, his eyes were drawn to the bold white stripe that ran down the center of her lips and on her chin.

"You're her," he said without thinking, and she crossed her arms. She was tall, incredibly so, and he had to crane his neck to look at her.

"I have a name, you know," she replied. "Am'lei. And I'd shake your hand, but that's not really an option."

Keith felt his lips involuntarily twitch upwards into a half-smile.

"Keith," he offered in return, and she nodded.

"I know."

Am'lei studied him for a moment, her expression neutral.

"Why are you here?"

He shrugged, and Am'lei gestured with a hand. The entire room began to change until they were in front of the shack he'd called home for a year. The scenes from his memory unfolded in front of his eyes.

"So this is Earth…"

Keith blinked.

"Yeah," he said, surprised to hear his voice crack.

"Do you miss it?"

Keith hesitated, crossing his arms. He could almost feel the wind blowing through the desert, could almost feel the dirt beneath his feet.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't," he answered. They stood together in his memory in silence for another moment.

"What happened, Keith?"

Am'lei's voice was soft. Keith found himself unable to look at her.

"He didn't tell us who he was," he said finally. "He's not human like us. He's not… I don't know anything about him anymore, do I? If everything I know is made up, I can't trust him."

Am'lei nodded, staring out at the desert.

"Your Earth reminds me of my home," she said suddenly. Then she laughed, but it was a bitter and sad sound, hollow in the air. "But Earth still lives. Nad'ulia… I fear Zarkon has destroyed it."

Her words struck a chord in Keith's chest. He imagined the Galra landing on Earth, taking it over, and his blood ran cold.

"Be careful, Keith," Am'lei said warningly. "I know you think Lance has betrayed your trust—"

"He has."

"But it will do you no good to turn against your friends."

Before he could protest, she raised a hand. "He _is_ your friend. Lie or not, he cares about you."

"How do _you_ know?" Keith spat, suddenly irritated.

Am'lei smiled. "I know him," she said. "I know his heart. And you don't have to worry about his connection with Zarkon—"

Keith's heart stuttered.

"Zarkon?"

Am'lei looked genuinely surprised.

"You don't know?"

Keith shrugged. "All I know is he's a bastard that needs to be stopped. Do I need to know anything else?"

Am'lei laughed, but then she sighed.

"Zarkon was the Black Paladin."

Keith stilled, horrified. "He was… what?"

Am'lei nodded somberly. "And he betrayed us all."

Keith's heart raced. Lance had been the Blue Paladin alongside Zarkon, and had trusted him, and then they'd been betrayed. He wondered if Zarkon had asked Lance to join him. If Lance had considered it.

 _And yet,_ his mind whispered. _He's here_.

The room darkened until they were in a distant Castle hallway. Keith thought he recognized it — it was close to the training room, a place he'd passed a million times.

A distant figure appeared. In the memory, Am'lei looked different, dressed formally in a nice mix of embellished armor over a dress.

"What—"

He thought he could feel cool fingers on his arm.

"Don't," the AI said, her eyes fixed on the scene.

Another figure approached, and Keith was surprised to see Zarkon. He looked far younger and had a charismatic air around him. He, too, was similarly dressed in a mix of armor and clothing, and a black circlet rested on his head.

 _"_ _Am'lei,"_ he said warmly. " _Not at the party, I see."_

In the memory, Am'lei smiled at him. " _Zarkon. And you aren't there, either._ "

Something in Zarkon's eyes darkened. Am'lei seemed to realize it, too.

" _Is something wrong?_ "

" _I've been meaning to speak to you about something_ ," Zarkon said, stepping closer. While Am'lei was tall, Zarkon's build was broad, and his armor made him seem bigger. He dwarfed her, and Keith spotted the small dagger in his hand.

"No," Keith whispered, glancing sideways at where Am'lei herself was watching her own memories play out before them. Her face had hardened, and her lips were trembling as she pressed them together. Still she stood silently, watching.

"No," Keith said again.

" _Of course. Is it— about Lance? The events of last few quintants…_ "

Zarkon smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

" _Not Lance,_ " he said, drawing closer. The dagger gleamed as he lifted it higher, keeping it hidden. " _You._ "

Zarkon lunged forward.

"No," Keith yelled, barreling forwards with a hand outstretched as if he could stop it.

The memory disappeared.

He panted, his heart racing in his chest as he turned back to face Am'lei.

"He killed me," Am'lei said lightly, but there were tears in her eyes. She took a step forward to face Keith, and her voice grew louder. "He killed _all_ of us."

She looked him in the eye. "You say you can't trust Lance because of who he is, but you forget that he can't trust _you_ , either. Don't forget who your enemies are, Keith. If you tear _your_ team apart from the inside, Zarkon will have already won."

That seemed to be the last thing Am'lei wanted to tell him.

"Wait," Keith said, surprised at the strength in his own voice. Am'lei raised her eyebrows.

"Did you… did you and Lance… speak?"

Am'lei shook her head. "No."

"Why?"

He didn't know why he wanted to know, but the question burned in him, lighting a fire beneath his ribs.

Am'lei met his gaze again, and he thought he could see himself reflected in her eyes.

"We're alike, you and me," she said, lips curling up. "You know. Why haven't you spoken to Lance?"

Keith shook his head, words dying on his tongue.

Am'lei lifted a hand. "I'm scared, too."

Then the room lit up again, the walls glowing faintly as they had when he'd walked in. There was no sign of Am'lei, or of any of the memories that had played out.

He decided to take a shower before heading to his room, scrubbing away the day's events under too-hot water like it could drown his fears.

No one spoke at the breakfast table the next morning. Hunk had left breakfast in a pot with a ladle, letting everyone scoop a warm, sweet goop that reminded Keith of oatmeal into their bowls. The cook himself was absent from the table, and so was Pidge, which wasn't completey unusual.

Keith found himself relieved to see Lance absent.

The rest of them sat awkwardly at the too-big dining table, spoons clinking against their bowls. Keith scraped absentmindedly at the side, trying not to look at anyone.

Shiro cleared his throat, and Keith startled, looking up at him. Instead of speaking, Shiro just nodded at them, picking up his bowl to deposit it in the sink.

"Princess," Coran said, his tone a little clipped. He, too, had finished and disappeared, leaving Allura and Keith together.

He tried not to look at her, but Keith could feel the tension that hung in the room like a fog.

When he finally caved, Keith found Allura staring into the contents of her bowl, stirring it aimlessly. She looked troubled; there was a crease between her brows that reminded Keith of Shiro when he was stressed. Looking closer, he saw her eyes shining, though he couldn't tell if there were tears or not.

He coughed, not knowing what to say. Keith never felt equipped to talk to anyone, much less comfort them.

"Uh, Allura?"

She didn't respond. There were faint circles under her eyes, and she looked like she hadn't slept the night before. Keith could relate — he hadn't slept very well at all, either.

"Allura, are you… um, okay?"

"I'm fine," she said faintly, straightening in her seat. She gave Keith a small smile. "Thank you, Keith."

"Um, Princess—"

She stilled.

"About Lance…"

"Excuse me," Allura said, standing with her unfinished bowl in hand. Keith watched her go, mouth opening as he was left alone at the table. He sighed, shoving his breakfast away and staring at the empty seats around him, wondering who had filled them before him.

The days passed similarly.

No one spoke much to each other, though Keith caught Shiro and Coran talking in hushed tones frequently, their expressions highlighted by the Castle lights.

Pidge had vanished completely. He hadn't seen her once, and he was almost glad for it.

Hunk still made their meals, even if he was never present for them. Keith found himself grounded in this new constant in his life, as weird as it was. It was comforting to eat a fresh, cooked meal, even if it was cooped in an alcove in a distant hallway alone.

As used to silence as he was, Keith found the quiet that had fallen over the Castle disconcerting. Like someone had sucked the life from the rooms, leaving only the bare bones.

He wasn't sure how to fix it, or if he wanted to.

A few times, he saw Hunk headed towards the Blue Lion's hangar — probably where Lance was. They didn't really speak, but Hunk did offer for Keith to join him. Keith never did.

Instead, he spent most of his time in the training room, chasing his thoughts away with spar after spar, sometimes with the bots, sometimes with Shiro.

"We're lucky," he told Shiro, panting as he lowered his bayard. "There haven't been many attacks lately."

"No," Shiro agreed. "There haven't."

He seemed distant, the same way he'd been recently. Keith hated it a little.

"Again?" Keith asked, because it was the only thing he knew to say.

Shiro pushed back his hair, fingers running through the white strands, and nodded. He rolled his shoulders a few times, and Keith stretched, his muscles aching.

"Let's train with a bot," Shiro said, and Keith stopped to look at him.

"Alright," he replied, shrugging. "Why not?"

Keith pressed his back to Shiro's, taking comfort in his presence.

Opposite them, the bot landed on the ground, its single eye surveying its opponents.

They started easier and worked their way up, increasing both the level and the number of bots they were fighting. Keith lost himself in the session, throwing himself forward to match the strikes of the bots and staying in step with Shiro. His blade cut through metal body after metal body until Shiro finally called for an end to the training session.

Keith groaned, letting his bayard change back before bracing himself on his knees to catch his breath.

"You good?" Shiro asked.

"Yeah," Keith answered. "Time for a break?"

"Definitely," Shiro said through a laugh, sitting on the floor. Keith sprawled out next to him, tossing his helmet to the side.

Leaning back on his hands, Keith could almost forget what had happened over the past few days. But there was something that hadn't left him alone, a nagging thought that had only grown as time passed.

"Shiro?"

Shiro grunted in response, which meant he was listening.

"Did you know?"

They both knew that Shiro knew what he was talking about.

"About what?"

Keith swallowed back the bitter taste in his mouth as Shiro turned to face him, crossing his legs.

"That Lance is, well, Altean."

It was weird to say out loud. Strange, to say the truth.

Shiro was silent for a moment. Then slowly, slowly, he nodded.

"I knew."

Keith swallowed again.

He didn't know what to say, or what else to ask. He found a confused disappointment filling the pit of his stomach instead of anger.

"I found out when we were captured," Shiro said steadily, meeting Keith's gaze with his own. "Sendak revealed it, if you're wondering. Lance didn't tell me."

Keith played with his bayard.

Time had let the anger cool slightly, leaving him with only hurt and a bit of guilt.

"How did you… react?"

Shiro raised his eyebrows and then sighed.

"Not well," he said, "but we talked. He told me a little bit about Zarkon—"

"He was the Black Paladin," Keith interrupted, thinking about what Am'lei had told him. "Wasn't he?"

Shiro blinked in surprise.

"How did you know that?"

"How did _you?_ "

When neither of them said anything, Shiro pursed his lips thoughtfully and then continued.

"And then he told me the truth," Shiro said. "I knew, but he told me anyway, because he wanted to. Because he trusted me to know."

Shiro nodded along to his own thoughts.

"Keith," Shiro said, sighing. "I was angry, too, when he told me. But nothing changed. He's still the same Lance we know."

Shiro smiled, standing up and clapping Keith's shoulder with his hand.

"Will I see you at lunch today?"

Keith started.

"Um," he said. "Yeah, I think so."

Shiro's smile grew wider. "Go take a break, Keith. I'll see you later."

Keith waved a hand at Shiro's back. He stayed in the training room for a little longer, stretching out his sore muscles before heading out to shower before lunch.

He was partially down the hallway when he was hit by a sense of déjà vu. Keith stopped, turning in a tight circle as he scanned the walls around him.

He scuffed his foot against the smooth floor and froze.

The scene flashed before his eyes: Am'lei, expression open and unaware as Zarkon surged forwards, blade concealed against his palm.

Keith stumbled back as if he'd been the one Zarkon was poised to kill. His heart was thundering in his ears, and Keith stared at the spot where she'd been killed.

Had his predecessor died here? Had Zarkon left her here alone— had he been the last thing she'd seen, knowing he'd betrayed her?

He hadn't known her, hadn't gotten the chance to, but Lance had.

Keith stared at the floor.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, and a draft from a nearby vent brushed against his neck.

He wondered distantly if she'd been buried, or burned, or sent home to her family in a casket, a tragedy and warning for the war to come. If Lance had been there.

The thought didn't make him feel any better.

As Keith headed back to his room, he heard distant, heated voices. Keith stopped in the hall and tucked himself next to the door, peeking around the corner.

He saw Allura and Coran standing across from each other, caught in an argument.

"I just don't understand how you can take his side!"

"You're not _listening_ to me, Princess."

Keith stole another careful look from the doorway. Coran had his arms crossed, visibly upset. Allura looked no better, hair wild around her face, her lips pulled into a frown.

"He could've defeated Zarkon," Allura yelled, stamping her foot. "We both know that."

"Three paladins fell before him," Coran said. "Lance couldn't have stopped him on his own."

Allura bit her lip.

"And he should've told us," she spat. "What about that, Coran? I thought we were _alone_. I thought we were the last Alteans. I thought everyone I loved, everyone I knew was _dead_."

She was breathing heavily, and Keith watched as she lifted her sleeve to wipe roughly at her tears. It felt wrong to be standing there, seeing Allura cry. He'd never seen her do it before.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Allura returned to her anger, stepping forward. "Or is everything Lance does right? Of course, he can do no wrong—"

" _I never said Lance was right_ ," Coran yelled, and Keith stumbled back. He'd never heard Coran raise his voice before, and it wasn't something he wanted to hear again.

There was a moment of shocked silence.

"I never said Lance was right," Coran said again, and Keith held his breath as Allura swept from the room, her skirts clenched in angry fists.

Keith let loose a heavy breath and slumped back against the wall, sliding down to sit. A second pair of footsteps followed the first, stopping in the doorway, and then Keith saw Coran stop in front of him.

He lifted his eyes to meet Coran's.

"How long have you been there?"

Keith's lips flattened. He didn't respond.

"Are you going to yell at me, too?" Keith asked, voice dull. Coran crouched in front of him so they were level with each other.

He was surprised to see Coran's face soften, finding an almost-affectionate concern on his face rather than anger.

"No," Coran said, sitting down across from him. "I think I've done enough of that."

"I'm… tired," Keith admitted. Coran nodded in understanding.

"As am I," said Coran. "I haven't seen you much lately."

Keith shrugged. "Not really."

Then Keith sighed. "I think… some of the things I said…"

"I don't think you were wrong to feel what you did," Coran said kindly, his eyes crinkling a little at the corners.

"I guess not," Keith said, worrying his lip. "But I think I'm sorry for how it happened."

Coran patted his knee, looking every bit the kind uncle Keith had always wanted but never had.

"We all are," he replied. "But what happened has happened. We can't go back in time."

Coran cocked his head. "Well, maybe we can. But that's a conversation for another time." He chuckled. "Another time… ah."

Keith grinned; he couldn't help it.

"We can only try to make up for our mistakes. And perhaps we'll make more mistakes. Isn't that what we do, constantly making up for our mistakes, falling apart and then back together?"

"Wow," Keith said. "That was almost profound, Coran."

Coran winked. "Thank you, my boy."

Keith hesitated as he stood, pulling Coran up after he had.

"Thank you, Coran," Keith said softly, and the man smiled at him, patting his shoulder.

Keith tucked his hands in his pockets as they parted ways. His stomach grumbled, wanting sustenance, and Keith realized it was about lunchtime. He changed paths, heading instead towards the dining hall.

"Hey," Hunk called, coming from the opposite direction. He waved before ducking into the dining hall, and Keith smiled.

There was another pair of footsteps coming from where Hunk had been. Probably Shiro, he figured, coming to lunch after a shower. He played with his hands, running his thumbs over his knuckles before switching hands.

The footsteps stopped, and Keith stopped with them.

"Oh," Keith said, dropping his hands to his side.

Lance blinked back at him, equally shocked. He looked tired and stressed, the area around his eyes puffy and red like he'd been crying. He was wrapped in a jacket Keith had never seen before, oversized in army green, with orange stripes on the sleeves.

"Um," Keith continued. "Hey."

The words were so awkward that he laughed. Lance seemed to find it funny, too, a small grin peeking through.

"Hey," Lance said, the first word he'd said to Keith in days. He toyed with the cuffs of his jacket sleeve, and his smile faded.

"Uh, you're getting lunch, too, yeah?"

Lance nodded.

Keith didn't know how to fix the tension between them, despite all that he'd figured out.

Lance made to go in, and he panicked.

"Wait," he cried, grabbing Lance's shoulder. Lance flinched away from him, and Keith lowered his hand.

"I'm sorry," Keith said. "I know that's not much, but I am. Sorry, I mean."

Lance stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking uncomfortable.

"So am I," he said finally. "It's… a start."

He held out his hand, and Keith took it, feeling a little hopeful.

"A start."


	24. Chapter 24

**familiar**  
 _chapter twenty-four_

* * *

His hands were bleeding.

Lance hissed, holding his palms up to the light so he could see them. There was nothing too deep, so he sighed, crossing over to a small panel on the wall. He pressed a button and watched it swing to the side, revealed boxes of medical supplies.

"Quiznak," he muttered, cleaning the cuts and then wrapping his hands with thick, white bandages.

 _Careful,_ Blue chided.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Lance replied, flexing his fingers experimentally and wincing as his hands stung.

 _Your friend is waiting for you._

He stopped. "What?"

Lance climbed up from Blue's belly and found Coran standing outside Blue, waiting patiently.

He hesitated for a moment before telling Blue to let him in.

 _You don't have to._

"I know," Lance said, tugging at the edges of his bandage. But he hadn't seen Coran in days, not since his explosion at the dinner table. The only people he'd seen often were Hunk and Pidge. They'd managed to coax him out of Blue long enough to build a pillow fort under his Lion and to get him food and fresh clothes.

It was— comforting, to say the least. He'd spent the first night silent and numb, letting Pidge and Hunk quietly fuss over him. He'd been tucked into a nest of blankets, warm and soft.

Pidge had brought her laptop; with it, she'd managed to sync up a few lights that flickered like candles. Then the two of them had curled up next to him, quietly telling him that it hadn't been his fault.

That he hadn't messed up. That it was okay to be scared. That nothing had changed between them — because they were friends, and friends wouldn't abandon each other.

He thought they'd leave after the first day, but they'd stayed.

Both of them left occasionally for other stuff, but there seemed to be an unspoken rule to not leave Lance alone.

Shiro had showed up every now and then. Lance didn't speak much, and Shiro never pushed. But his presence was a welcome one — Shiro told him stories from Earth he'd never heard, sharing folk tales about the constellations.

Lance had shared a few in response, telling him bits and pieces of Altean history. In the flickering light, he'd almost believed he did have a place to belong after all.

Almost.

 _Lance_ , Blue murmured, and he blinked.

"Let him in," he decided. She lowered her head dutifully, mouth cranking open.

Coran smiled as he walked into the cockpit.

"Hello," Lance said, unsure of what to say. Coran's lips curled up into a small smile. "Uh, haven't seen you in a while."

"No, I suppose you haven't," Coran said. He settled himself on the floor, crossing his legs, and Lance followed suit hesitantly.

Coran sighed. "It's been quiet without you."

"Oh," he said.

Coran reached out and grasped Lance's hands in his own.

"I've missed you," he said simply. "How have you been?"

He was so sincere about it that Lance cracked just a bit. He leaned back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.

"Okay," Lance said truthfully. "I don't know what to think anymore."

Coran hummed, a soft sound. "That's alright."

"Hard," he continued. Lance caved in on himself. "I wish none of this had ever happened. I wish Zarkon had never betrayed us."

His voice caught in his throat. "I wish I could go home. Just— one last time."

Coran bowed his head.

"We never got to say goodbye, did we?" he murmured. Lance shivered.

"No." He swallowed. "I wish I'd been there. Sometimes, I… I wish he'd killed me, too."

Coran went silent for a moment. Lance wanted to take the words back, wanted to pull them apart and leave them lying on the floor.

"I wanted the same," Coran admitted finally. "The first few days after waking up, I wished I hadn't at all. I wanted to seal myself back into a cryopod and be frozen in time. Other times, I wanted to turn back time so I could die next to my king, like I'd promised I would."

"But it never happened."

Coran sighed. "It never did."

"How do you do it?"

Coran glanced at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

Lance pressed his lips together.

"I mean... how do you keep going, Coran?"

Coran chuckled.

"I don't think I have an answer for you, my boy," he said. "I'm not sure I deal with any of it very well. But Altea is long gone, so I have to cherish what little I have left."

He paused for a moment. "Allura needs me. As long as she needs me, I will stand by her side."

Lance hummed.

"It's hard," Coran said. "The grief is still here."

He lifted a hand and tapped a finger over his heart. Lance felt his heartbeat echo in response, felt the same grief in his bones.

"But it will fade with time," Coran said. "It won't go away, I think, but it'll dull."

Lance rubbed at his chest. "It hurts."

"I know."

Blue rumbled quietly, the sound like waves against the shore, and Lance closed his eyes.

"I don't think we have a choice," Coran said gently. "We have to keep going — for the people before us and the people who will come after us."

His lips trembled.

"I know," he murmured, echoing Coran's words.

"I talked to Keith," Coran said suddenly, and Lance stiffened. He could still hear Keith's words, sharp as knives, could feel them jabbing under his skin and drawing invisible blood.

He clenched his hands at his side.

"Did you," he said, not sure if he wanted to hear what they'd talked about.

"He cares about you, you know," Coran said. "He was just hurt and a bit confused, but he does want to make amends."

"I thought he hated me," Lance whispered.

"No one hates you," Coran said sharply.

"I should've told them from the beginning."

"I told Keith this, too, but we can't change the past. What's happened has happened. We can only move on."

"Still," Lance said quietly.

"I don't think there was anyone wrong or right," he said. "I think I understand why you chose to keep your secret from us, but I also think that knowing would've made a difference."

"But—"

"But what?"

Coran considered him for a moment. "If anything, I think we must've failed you, somehow. That you thought there was a chance we would turn our backs on you…"

Lance shook his head.

"No," he said weakly. "I…"

Coran caught Lance's gaze.

"Will you forgive me?" he asked. "Will you trust me?"

Lance touched his fingers to his lips, tasting his own words.

"I forgive you," he said, surprised at how easily the words had come. "And I trust you— I do."

Coran's eyes were bright with tears.

"Thank you, Lance."

He felt his throat close up and nodded, the words lost in his mouth.

"You forgave me first," Lance reminded him. A smile found its way onto his face, and Coran grinned back.

"Will you come?" Coran asked. "We're about to have lunch."

He hesitated.

"You don't have to," Coran said softly, "if you really don't want to. But I would like to have you there."

"Oh," Lance murmured. He sent a questioning thought to Blue, not knowing what to do. Panic twisted in his stomach; he wasn't sure if he was ready to face the others yet.

 _Heart_ , whispered Blue.

He knew what she wanted him to do, so Lance slowly climbed to his feet. Coran regarded him hopefully.

"I'll… I'll go there in a bit," Lance tried. Coran gripped his arm.

"It'll be alright," he said, and for once, Lance believed the words.

Coran left first, telling him not to linger for too long. Lance listened to him sing a haunting melody under his breath, the notes still echoing in the hangar. He stayed in Blue for a moment.

"I'm scared," he whispered.

 _I know._

"I'm so scared, Blue."

 _Heart_ , she said instead, rumbling the word. _Heart._

Lance put his hand over his heart and felt it pound, much faster than normal.

He slipped back into her belly, sidestepping the pile of glass he'd left on the floor.

Hanging on the wall was a dark-colored jacket. He took it down carefully, ghosting his fingers over the coarse material before lifting it to his face and breathing in.

It still smelled like he remembered.

Lance turned to the inside, tracing his fingers over the name stitched on the tag.

"Okay," he murmured, putting the jacket on and wrapping it around himself. "Okay. It's okay. I can do this."

Lance slipped from Blue, feeling strangely vulnerable as he shifted uneasily on the ground. He didn't feel right, leaving her.

 _Go_ , she prompted.

He took a few steps, looking back.

 _Go. I will be here_ , she promised, brushing her mind briefly against his.

Lance took his time heading to the dining hall, his steps slow but his mind racing. He didn't know what to expect, didn't know how the others would react to seeing him.

There was another person coming from the opposite direction. Lance noticed his jacket first, bright red in stark contrast to the Castle's colors.

"Oh," Keith said. His hands dropped to his sides.

Lance could only blink back. He realized he was shaking — he wanted to run back to Blue and hide. Lance took in a deep breath and let it out again.

"Um," Keith said. "Hey."

He looked so awkward, and the words were so sudden that it made Lance smile. Keith laughed.

"Hey," he said back, his smile fading. He toyed with his jacket cuffs, wanting to say something but finding nothing.

"Uh, you're getting lunch, too, yeah?"

He nodded.

When Keith said nothing else, Lance rocked back and forth on his heels and then headed in.

"Wait," Keith cried, grabbing Lance's shoulder.

He couldn't help it; he flinched. Lance's heart thrummed in his throat, and he dug his heels into the ground so he wouldn't flee.

Keith lowered his hand. He looked caught halfway between surprise and regret.

"I'm sorry," he said, his words rushed. "I know that's not much, but I am. Sorry, I mean."

Lance stuck his hands in his pockets. He wasn't sure how to respond, wasn't sure if Keith really meant it. But there was a truthful glint in his eye, a grain of sincerity in the shape of his mouth.

He'd forgiven Coran. And he'd accepted Hunk and Pidge's quiet apologies, and Shiro's. He hadn't felt like they had to apologize, but they had anyway.

And now Keith was, too.

"So am I. It's…" Lance started, considering his words. _It's okay. You hurt me. It's okay._ "…a start."

He braced himself and then offered his hand to Keith. Keith took it, a smile on his face, though he didn't seem to realize it was there.

"A start," Keith repeated.

They walked into the dining hall together, Lance stuffing his hands back in his pockets.

The rest of Team Voltron was already there, to Lance's surprise. The only person who wasn't was Allura.

Shiro glanced up at their entrance. He nodded to Keith and then smiled at the both of them.

 _Good to see you_ , he mouthed, and Lance smiled hesitantly back. He wondered if Keith had been taking his meals somewhere else, if he'd been alone.

"Oh, hey," Hunk said happily, glancing up. He was busy ladling a bright pink, hearty-looking soup into a set of bowls. "Soup?"

Lance sunk into a seat and took the bowl Hunk offered him. It was nice— Hunk didn't act like anything had changed at all. Which, to him, might've been true.

"Thanks," he mumbled, finding a spoon.

Keith echoed the thanks, taking his own bowl from Hunk. He sat down next to Lance, and he looked more relaxed than Lance had thought he'd be.

He spooned some of the soup into his mouth and was pleased to find a rice-like grain in it. It was delicious; the soup reminded him of the glumpfen that Celia loved, thick with a hint of heat. There was a sweet note in it, too.

"'s good," Pidge mumbled through a mouthful.

Hunk beamed, but Shiro frowned.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," he said, and Pidge snickered.

"Okay, _Dad_ ," she teased, and Shiro choked on his spoonful of soup. Lance cracked a smile at the look on his face, and next to him, Keith laughed.

"That's a new one," he said.

Shiro narrowed his eyes.

"Keith," he said warningly. Keith only blinked back innocently.

"I didn't say anything," he replied.

"I'm not a dad," Shiro grumbled, shoveling soup into his mouth. There was amusement in the crinkle of his eyes, as much as he tried to hide it.

"No," Hunk chimed in. He leveled the ladle at Shiro. "You're… Space Dad."

Shiro groaned.

"Oh, come on, Space Dad," Pidge said. She pushed her glasses up. "I think it's cute."

Shiro looked to Coran for help, but the man was staring intensely at his soup, apparently interested in the ripples he could make with his spoon. Shiro sighed.

It felt so _normal_ to see them joking and ribbing at each other, smiles on everyone's faces. It made Lance feel warm inside — almost happy.

On his right side, Pidge nudged him.

"Alright?" she whispered.

Lance lifted his shoulder into a shrug. "I guess."

The mood seemed to plummet when Allura swept in. She looked cool and collected — what he'd expect from a princess. She was wearing what Zarkon liked to call a "diplomacy face," a pleasant guise to cover any thoughts she might've had.

He went silent as she walked in, tucking his head down and hoping she wouldn't look at him.

Pidge made a bitter noise, eyes flickering from Allura to Lance before she scowled into her bowl.

"Princess," Coran greeted. Shiro offered a smile, and Hunk and Keith nodded cordially. Lance did nothing, instead shrinking in more on himself and trying to quickly down the rest of his meal.

"You don't have to stay," Pidge whispered. "We can leave."

 _We_ can leave, she'd said. Not you.

He shook his head.

"It's fine," he muttered lowly back.

"Lance—" Pidge said, but he shook his head at her again, mentally telling her to drop it. She gripped her spoon tighter but went quiet.

"Soup?" Hunk asked, already grabbing a bowl.

Allura seated herself at the head of the table and nodded.

"Thank you," she said, taking the bowl.

They made it halfway through lunch before Lance couldn't take it anymore. The silence was too strained, but whenever someone spoke, the conversation was awkward and heavy with unsaid words.

There were _way_ too many eyes that kept flickering to him and away again. Keith didn't look at him again, instead keeping his gaze on his bowl, but his presence burned next to Lance.

He drank the rest of his soup as fast as he could and stood to leave.

"Um," Lance said, ignoring how everyone's attention was suddenly on him. "I'm going to go. Uh… yeah."

He left before anyone could stop him, his stomach twisting. While lunch had been delicious, he suddenly regretted eating. Lance wasn't sure if he'd really been ready to face everyone at once.

Lance had put his dish away and was on his way back to Blue's hangar when there was the sound of footsteps behind him. He didn't slow and didn't turn. Probably Pidge, and—

"Hey… wait up."

Keith's gloved hand hovered over his shoulder. He let it fall without touching Lance.

Lance turned to him, trying to calm the anxiety that was squeezing the air from his lungs.

"Need something?" he asked, trying for the casual confidence he usually carried.

Keith raised an eyebrow, and Lance bit his lip.

"I know I apologized, but… um."

Without thinking, his hands began to tug restlessly at his cuffs.

"Can we not have this conversation now?"

He was about to turn to go when Keith said, "No."

He stopped.

"No," Keith said again, stronger. "You can't—"

Keith paused, going through the words in his head. He seemed to realize what he was saying — what he was demanding — and changed it.

" _We_ can't keep running away," he finished.

Lance crossed his arms.

"I'm not," he said hotly, stepping forward.

Keith moved forward, too. His eyes were wide and more serious than Lance remembered.

"Yes, you are," he insisted. "We need to talk."

Lance sucked in a breath and then let it out. Keith was right.

"I don't know if I'm ready."

Keith looked down. "I don't think I'll ever be," he said. "But we're— we're still a team. And we're friends, if you want to be. Because I, um, I want to be."

Lance's hands were shaking.

"So do I," he whispered, and a lonely relief fell over Keith's face.

"I was mad because I thought you… well, when you first told us, I was hurt that you hadn't trusted me enough to tell me the truth. You were suddenly someone completely different. Not Lance. And then I was angry."

"You should be," Lance said lowly.

"Coran said… Coran said it was okay to be mad. But I should have listened first instead of lashing out. And I should've apologized sooner. So I'm sorry."

"I should've told you in the beginning. I'm sorry I didn't, and I know I… we hurt each other."

The words were hard, but once they were out, it felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Mistakes are okay," Keith said finally, words slow.

Lance smiled. "Coran talked to us both about that, I guess."

"Yeah, I guess." Keith huffed in amusement and grinned at the ceiling. "He told you that we have to keep going, too, right?"

"Oh, yeah," he said. The smile didn't leave his face.

"I'm going to listen to you more," Keith said. "I don't want to make a promise, and I know it's gonna be hard. And I'm not always going to listen, sometimes. But I want to try."

Lance studied Keith and his honesty and nodded, eyes burning.

"I trust you," he said, and Keith jolted in surprise. "And I'll talk more. Communicate, instead of keeping it all in here."

He tapped the side of his head.

"You don't need to bottle it up," Keith said.

"Neither do you," he replied. "And I'm going to try not to. You're my— you're my friend, and I need to share things with you."

Keith was crying. Lance didn't know when he'd started, but he'd tucked his arms around himself and was shaking, tears running down his face. Lance started crying, too.

Keith extended a hand. He was smiling, too, watery but genuine.

"Thank you, Lance."

Lance took it and then pulled Keith into a hug, wrapping his arms around his friend. Keith stiffened, a surprised sound escaping by Lance's ear, before he relaxed into it.

"Thank you, too," Lance murmured.

Keith's arms came to fold around Lance, and they held onto each other for a while.


	25. Chapter 25

**familiar** _  
chapter twenty-five_

* * *

The containment room was cold. It was the first thing Lance noticed; he pulled his jacket around himself tighter and inched closer to Hunk, leeching off of his friend's body warmth.

Pidge came skittering around the corner, her glasses askew as she stopped next to him.

She was the last to arrive. The other paladins, joined by Coran, were already here.

"I'm here," she panted, straightening. "What's— oh."

"Yeah," Lance said quietly when no one else spoke. No one _wanted_ to speak, really, not with what they were doing. It felt… wrong.

In the pod in front of them, Sendak floated peacefully in sleep. Still, even when he wasn't awake and threatening Lance's existence, he was sharp at the edges, carrying an anger that seemed unending.

Coran pressed the last of the devices up to the pod, checking them all over and humming in approval. There was no smile on his face; instead, his lips were drawn into a thin, flat line that only made Lance feel worse.

"All here, then?" Coran asked, patting at a wire. He ran a critical gaze over the room, and Lance nodded when his eyes passed over him. "Good."

The only person not present was Allura, which Lance was secretly grateful for. She was probably resting or taking care of other important things.

"Alright," said Coran, drawing Lance's attention back towards him. He rubbed his hands together. "Before we begin, I'd like to warn you that this technology was never used to keep Altean memories alive — not interrogate prisoners. I've never… done this before, so the results may not fit our desires."

Shiro scrubbed a hand over his face. There were shadows on face that Lance was unsurprised to see — he himself didn't want to be here, either, not with Sendak. Not with the memories stirring in the back of his mind and a dull ache pulsing under his eye, though Shiro's were probably much, much worse.

Or maybe, Lance thought, there were empty pockets of memories slipping through Shiro's mind. He wasn't sure which was better.

"Coran, we get that this isn't what Altean technology was used for. But if we can manage to extract Sendak's memories, we can obtain valuable information about the Galra Empire that we can use."

"The faster, the better," Lance muttered.

"A- _greed_ ," Hunk muttered back. They shared a dark look, and by his side, Pidge's small hand slid in his. A small comfort, warm and welcome.

"Sooo… how's it work?"

As much as she despised Sendak — which was a _lot_ , going by the look in her eyes, Pidge's curiosity seemed to overshadow her hate. She used her free hand to shove her glasses up higher.

"As the memories are extracted," Coran explained, pointing at the connecting wires, "they're written bit by bit on individual molecules of the micro-storage strands."

Whatever he'd just said flew over Lance's head.

He'd only been here once, when Am'lei had asked to store her memories.

 _Just in case anything happens_ , she'd said.

He'd laughed, then, because they'd been invincible like newborn gods. Laughed, because they'd never let anything happen to each other.

 _Nothing 'll happen._

 _Just in case_ , Am'lei had said again.

It was when Pidge squeezed his hand that he realized he'd been gripping hers tighter.

"Sorry," he whispered, and she nodded back at him.

"So this is how you did the whole thing with King Alfor?" Keith asked. He seemed strangely interested. Lance hadn't pegged him to be, but he supposed he was wrong.

"Precisely," Coran said, saying it like Hunk would've said _bingo_ and snapping his fingers. Then he frowned. "Though it's never been done on an unwilling patient."

Keith shrugged. "That's what you get when you've got humans around. Firsts at everything."

There was a slow humming that built as the machine awoke. The storage device glowed, turning on, but nothing happened. Lance frowned at it. Am'lei's had begun almost immediately after the machine had figured out how to work with her.

"Uh," Hunk said, raising his hand like he was in a classroom. "Is it… like, working?"

Shiro frowned, folding his arms over his chest. "Let's give it some time."

They did. Lance gave it _plenty_ of time. Pidge kept checking her wrist, muttering under her breath about the projects she'd been working on and wanted to get back to.

Eventually, Pidge shrugged.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the lab. Probably. Like, 78% percent. I'm gonna go mess around with that Galra Crystal."

She brushed the back of her hand against Lance's before disappearing around the corner. It made him sad to see her go alone, the soft whirring that had followed her once now gone.

Once she left, the idea stuck in the others' minds.

Keith had been tapping his foot for the last few minutes, gaze heavy as he'd stared into the pod. Now, he threw up his hands.

"Might as well get some practice in," he said, like anyone was surprised at where he was going. "Training calls. Anyone want to come with?"

His gaze swept over them. Lance shrugged, deciding to stay a little longer.

"And then there were four," Hunk mumbled, spouting a reference that Lance didn't get. "Oh, man, it's like a horror movie. He's gonna wake up and bust out of the pod with a chainsaw. The lights are gonna go out. There's going to be the screams of the dying echoing in our ears. Oh, man. Oh, _man_ , we are so screwed."

There were no chainsaws. Or flickering lights, or dying screams. Just silence, though Lance kind of wished something would happen. At least there'd be a little action.

When a bit of time had passed and no one had died, Hunk gave up.

"I'm gonna find something a little more exciting in the kitchen. Maybe make some breakfast." He patted his stomach. "Gotta feed the beast."

Hunk waved before he left.

"Don't die, guys."

"Thanks," Lance grumbled.

Shiro didn't seem to have heard any of it. There was an intense look on his face that kind of scared Lance, but he stepped closer, hoping something would happen. Waiting to breathe again.

Coran clapped his hands. "Well, off I go, too. You know, lots of duties to attend and such. With the Galra Crystal in our system, the Galra ships and the Balmeran rejuvenation ceremony, and… other stuff, the old Castle's taken quite a beating.

"I'm afraid I haven't been taking good care of it! I've got to recharge and repair the systems."

Shiro waved a hand dismissively, his gaze unwavering.

"I'll stay. Sendak has information… information about Zarkon that we need."

There was a headache beginning to form between Lance's eyes. He rolled his shoulders back, trying to get rid of the knot between them, and then shook his head out. A face mask, maybe, since he hadn't taken care of himself in a while. A little nail polish, maybe some juice…

"You two have fun," he said, taking a couple steps back and pointing finger guns. "I'm gonna go chill somewhere. Do a little pampering, you know, the works."

"Oh, no you don't," Coran said. "You're going to come help me."

Lance withered under Coran's gaze.

"Did I say chill? I meant, like, uh… got some space reading to do, you know? Homework."

"You're not in school," Coran reminded him cheerily. "Well, not anymore. So come on."

Lance groaned. He knew he wasn't getting out of it, and whenever Coran was stressed, he'd go stress-clean. The least Lance could do was give him a little company.

"Okay, okay," he said, holding up his hands in surrender. Coran was already halfway out the door.

Lance turned to Shiro and frowned when the man stayed silent, not really acknowledging either of them.

"Hey," he said, but Shiro didn't reply. "Let us know if anything happens, yeah?"

Nothing.

Lance glanced over his shoulder at where Coran had disappeared. He was probably waiting. Lance took a small, hesitant step forward, reaching out to touch Shiro's shoulder.

"Shiro?"

"Hmm?" Shiro finally turned, blinking at him.

He was angry, rightfully so, but the closer Lance looked, the more fear he found. Fear of the monster in front of him, fear for their team… or maybe, reflected in the gleaming glass, fear of himself.

Lance's heart quivered. He'd smashed all his mirrors two nights ago.

"Shiro," he said again.

 _"_ _Lance, isn't it?" he asked, breath warm on Lance's face. "The Blue Paladin… Zarkon will be interested in you, though I fail to see your value. If it was up to me, you'd be dead, little paladin."_

His mouth tasted like blood. Lance shivered a little, the temperature dropping.

 _"_ _And what secrets are you hiding_ _behind those pretty blue eyes?"_

He'd been unconscious most of the time, waking only to another nightmare. But Shiro…

Lance didn't know what had happened as he'd slept. He hadn't pressed Shiro, and Shiro hadn't shared.

"Shiro," he said, voice sharper. "Do you need me here?"

Shiro circled the pod like a predator affixed on his prey.

"I'll be fine," he bit out, the words choppy. Lance ignored the sting of cold dismissal, telling himself it was just because of Sendak. Shiro wasn't mad at him, nor did he hate him. Just Sendak.

Still, Lance's voice shook.

"Okay," he said. "Just… tell us if you need anything."

He cast another glance at the picture before him: Shiro and Sendak, mirrored. Awake, asleep. One a former human Champion of the Galra Empire, the other the Empire's loyal commander.

The thought of Coran waiting made him leave, but not before Lance looked back one more time.

Coran _was_ waiting for him. It took Lance a while to find him in the med bay, armed not with weapons but with cleaning supplies.

"Ah, there you are! Grab a sponge."

Lance hadn't even started and his arms were already aching as he stared at the rows of pods. He wasn't looking forward to cleaning _at all_.

"Honestly," Lance grumbled, folding his jacket and setting it down gently. He grabbed a sponge and a bucket of water. "We have technology to heal fatal wounds, and yet Alteans never figured out the secret of self-cleaning. At least Earth has Roombas, as stupid and useless as they are. Better suited to carrying knives than cleaning."

"What's that? A Zumba?"

Lance stifled his laughter. Pidge had talked about her mom trying it; then, he pictured a little Roomba in athletic clothes and laughed so hard a bit of water in his bucket spilled.

"Nothing," he managed to stammer out at Coran's curious look. Lance wheezed. "Oh, man."

With no self-cleaning devices in sight, Lance set to scrubbing.

"Oh, self-cleaning pods. Now, that's a good one! You know, this kind of reminds me of my time as a young cadet. I had just enlisted in the Altean space squad, aeronautics sub-tech nano-weaponry unit, and I was sent off to boot camp. Our sergeant had us cleaning cryo-pods day and night. I got so good at it, I earned my first set of stripes!"

"Really," Lance muttered, switching to a rag to get at a little speck.

There was a hissing sound, and Lance cried out as he fell forward into a pod that hadn't been open before. It shut behind him, and Lance pounded against the glass, shouting at Coran's back.

"Coran! _Coran!_ Please—"

The pod descended, and Lance screamed.

Ice crept into his bones. In his human body, he knew that if the cryopod kept freezing, he'd be a popsicle in no time.

Lance pounded desperately on the glass, kicking and screaming for help. It was so dark, and Lance's head spun. There was air, but there wasn't enough of it.

He shoved his shoulder against the pod, sobs catching in his throat.

"Please!" he cried, breath fogging up the air. "Please, please. Coran! _Please_ , anyone!"

Cold tears made their way down his face. He scrubbed at them before they could freeze and kicked at the bottom of the pod.

Oh, stars. How long had it been? A minute? Two?

There was the sensation of eyes on him, and Lance sobbed again, terror welling up in him.

"Let me go," he pleaded, and then the eyes retreated, seemingly replaced by a different invisible presence. He thought he heard his name in the back of his mind, a whisper in a voice he couldn't quite grasp.

It made him stop, though, made his racing heart slow just a fraction.

Then the pod sprung upwards. He yelled wordlessly when he saw Coran, banging on the glass again. Coran's eyes widened when he saw him, rushing over to press a button, and Lance flew forwards, gasping and coughing as he landed on his hands and knees.

"Lance? Lance, are you alright? What happened?"

He shivered as he retrieved his jacket and tucked it around himself, covering his nose and breathing in the faint scent that still clung to it. Lance's scrambled brain began to calm, and his breathing evened out.

"The pod…" he said when he'd collected himself. Lance stared at it with wide eyes. It looked perfectly fine, as if it hadn't moved at all. "It trapped me inside! Locked me in and went into the floor. I thought…"

Coran crouched next to him, looking puzzled.

"Are you sure you didn't just trip and fall in?" he asked. "It happens. No judgment. And besides, there's no reason for the pod to lock and start the cryogenic freezing process…"

They both turned to stare at the pod as if they could find the answers. Lance only saw himself, scared and shaken by his experience.

"It tried to kill me," Lance mumbled.

Coran shook his head. "The Castle… no, it must have been a malfunction."

There was an uneasy tone to his voice, like he didn't quite believe it himself.

"This is it," Lance muttered. "Hunk was right. We're in a Castle that's now awake and trying to kill us all. Horror movie set-up — he made me watch them with him all the time… ugh, this place is haunted, isn't it?"

"Haunted?" Coran patted his shoulder. "The Castle's not alive. It's just a great bit of technology and science and some… not-science."

He paused. "Does sound like it's haunted, doesn't it?"

"Not helping," Lance grumbled.

"Well, I'll go look around in the controls, see if I can find anything that needs fixing. I suppose you can run off and chill like you wanted."

"Chill," he muttered as Coran walked off. "Yeah, no thanks."

There was an ominous rumbling sound before the pod he'd been trapped in dropped into the ground. Lance couldn't help the scream that tore out of his mouth, scrambling to his feet and running away.

He ran down the hall before slowing to a walk. There was the sound of footsteps, muffled like whoever was walking was further away. Coran, probably, coming to join him.

The lights flickered.

Lance looked around nervously, checking around in the alcoves as if he could find someone pulling a prank on him. Hunk's rambling and the pod incident had left him convinced something was wrong.

The lights came back on, and he frowned.

Around the corner, there was a flash of armor.

"Coran?"

He wasn't wearing armor, but he was the only person Lance could think of. There was another flash in the corner of his eye, and Lance spun to see the hem of a dark cloak. Fear crept up his throat.

"Hello?" It was a prank. Had to be. "Guys, stop messing around."

Distantly, there was a cry. Lance turned frantically, reaching for his bayard and finding nothing.

" _Help! Help!_ "

Coran's voice floated down the corridor.

"Oh, no," Lance whispered. "Coran? Coran, are you there?"

" _Help!_ " Coran cried again. " _Somebody!_ "

"Coran," he yelled, rushing forwards. "Coran, where _are_ you?"

" _Trapped! In the airlock!_ "

Panic closed his throat up, and he coughed out his words, stumbling as he slid into the airlock.

The door shut behind him, and Lance's panic rose higher. Trapped again.

"Ha-ha," Lance said weakly, squinting through the glass doors. "You got me, guys. Uh… nice joke!"

Then a cold voice said, " _Airlock opening in 30 ticks_."

Lance turned to look outwards, seeing nothing but open space. He clutched at his throat. No suit. No helmet. Nothing to protect him. He'd survive for a few seconds before death claimed him.

"Joke's over!" he yelled, not quite believing it was just a joke as he dashed over to the doors. "You can let me out now!"

No one came to open the airlock.

" _…_ _29, 28, 27…_ "

Lance stared around him. There was nothing he could use to break himself out; he pounded at the doors as if that would unlock them.

There was plenty of space to move around, but Lance still felt too confined already. He hated tight spaces, hated feeling like he was suffocating.

"Please! Guys!"

He wailed when no one came.

"Coran! Hunk! Pidge! Keith! Shiro!" He rattled off names, ramming his shoulder into the door. "Anyone?"

"… _24, 23, 22…_ "

"Allura!" he cried, forgetting that she hated him, forgetting that they'd been at odds for so long now. "Allura, please! Anyone!"

"… _21, 20, 19…_ "

He kept screaming, knowing it was the only way _anyone_ would ever know he was trapped. When the numbers continued to decrease and his voice grew hoarse, Lance started yelling the old prayers Mama had taught him instead.

"… _17, 16, 15…_ "

There was a gleam down the hall.

A second later, Keith skidded into view. Lance's voice died out when he was what was chasing him — the gladiator from the training deck, its single eye glowing an eerie red. The gladiator lunged, and Keith yelled, catching its blow with his sword.

" _Keith!_ " Lance roared, slamming his fist as hard as he could against the airlock door. Around him, the cold, detached voice continued to count down.

" _Keith, help me!_ "

Keith turned for a split second. His eyes widened when he saw Lance trapped.

He ducked under another blow and ran over.

"What are you doing in there?" he yelled, and Lance fit his hands over where Keith's were pressed against the glass.

"Just get me out!" Lance shrieked. "Keith, move!"

The gladiator's blade screeched as it scratched the glass. Keith yelled, diving forward to shove it back.

"… _5, 4, 3_ …"

If Keith turned to open the airlock, he'd be exposed to the gladiator. He'd be killed without a chance.

Keith spared a just-as-terrified look at him before eyeing the gladiator.

The airlock hummed. Something clicked, and Lance had less than a second to grab onto the wall before the airlock opened.

He cried out as he was wrenched backwards, his arms screaming as the vacuum of air tugged at him, willing him to let go. Keith ducked, and there was a spark as the gladiator cut through the control panel. A sword ran through it a moment later, leaving the gladiator broken.

"Lance!"

Keith hooked his feet around the corner.

"Lance," he yelled. "Reach for me!"

He held out an arm, and Lance cried as he saw the distance between them.

"Lance!" Keith roared, reaching further, and Lance scrabbled at his hold, shoving a foot in a crack and then stretching forward.

Their fingers brushed. Once. Twice.

Then Keith's hand wrapped around his, and he pulled as hard as he could, his other hand catching Lance's left wrist when he got the chance.

They both collapsed by the airlock, panting. Lance still had tears in his eyes as he looked up.

"Thank you," he panted.

Keith scuttled back, putting distance between him and the airlock, and Lance followed.

"What were…" Keith wet his lips. "What were you _doing_?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Lance yelled, gesturing at the sparking gladiator on the ground.

"He was trying to kill me!"

Keith's words exploded in the hall, echoing. Lance stared at him, trying to process it — he hadn't been the only one in danger after all.

"The Castle…" Lance said.

Their eyes met, and Lance knew what Keith was thinking. They'd both almost died, and it had been the Castle's fault.

"The others," Keith said, horror dawning on his face. They both sprung to their feet and began to run.

The others were fine. Coran looked no worse for the wear, but both Pidge and Hunk were holding onto each other for dear life. There was food goo in Hunk's hair, he noticed, and the two were lying on the ground, staring up at the ceiling.

"What are you doing?" Lance asked, crossing the floor of the lab. "Lying around while the Castle tries to kill us!"

"Yeah," Keith said. "A robot tried to kill me!"

" _I_ got trapped in a pod! And then the airlock!"

"Boys…" Coran said.

"Look, I almost died because of killer food," Hunk replied, getting to his feet. "And then it all went zero-g! I _told_ you this was a horror movie."

"There must be a reasonable explanation to all this," Coran said, pulling at his mustache. His eyes landed on the bits of Crystal Pidge had broken off to study. "Perhaps the infection from the Galra Crystal was deeper than we thought. And since we paid it little mind, it's set in further…"

"Well, then, let's shoot it out the airlock," Hunk said. "Easy peasy, lemon squeezy."

Lance shuddered. "I'm not going there _ever_ again."

"Too late," Coran said. "When Sendak plugged it into the ship, it corrupted the entire Castle. Getting rid of it won't help."

"Sendak," whispered Keith. His voice fizzled out. "Has anyone… has anyone seen Shiro?"

"Or Allura?"

"We have to find them," Keith yelled, running into the hall. The others hesitated for a second, their priorities divided.

Lance knew they were about to follow Keith, so he waved a hand.

"Go," he said. "I'll get Allura."

Pidge and Hunk were already racing down the hall. Coran wavered.

"Lance, are you s—"

"There's more important problems than the one between us," Lance said through gritted teeth. "Just go. Allura can take care of herself. Shiro… he's strong, but I don't know if now…"

"May the winds carry you," Coran said.

"May the earth be in your favor," Lance responded, turning in the opposite direction and resuming his run.

He found Allura in the first place he thought to look.

The elevator shuddered to a stop. Lance hesitated when the doors opened before stepping out.

The holodeck was in full use.

"Father," he heard Allura say. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her head there, looking down. "I… I've made a terrible mistake, and I don't know how to fix it. How do I… Father, what do I do?"

The memory of King Alfor turned and smiled, looking straight at Lance.

"Perhaps you should talk to him instead of me, dearest," he told her.

She gasped sharply and lifted her head from her knees to find Lance standing in the doorway, still watching, frozen and captivated by the world around them. Altea in all her glory, the beauty of the juniberry meadows spread out around him…

King Alfor dissolved in an invisible wind, leaving them alone. For a moment, they wavered, neither of them making a move. Lance opened his mouth to say something but choked on the words instead.

Finally, Allura wet her lips and broke the silence. "Would… would you like to join me?"

All thoughts of telling her what had happened faded. He stumbled a few steps forward and nodded, sitting next to her.

So close, he could see her red, puffy eyes.

"Hello, Lance," Allura whispered when he didn't speak. "Talin."

There was true regret in her eyes. Regret, pain, and a plea for forgiveness. He gave it to her immediately; he'd never been mad at her, only scared that his biggest fears had come to fruition.

"I'm sorry," Allura said. She unfurled from her position and instead rocketed forward onto her knees. "I'm sorry, Talin—"

"Lance," he said, tucking her apology into his heart and offering her the same in response.

"I don't deserve to call you that," she said, but he shook his head.

"I'm sorry…"

"I'm sorry, too." Allura swallowed her pride — the same pride that had always gotten her into trouble and silver-tongued fights when they'd been younger. The pride that made some dislike her, the haughtiness of a princess. The pride that made her take on every challenge, and that stopped her from apologizing.

She swallowed it all now, searching his face.

"I shouldn't have said what I did," she said. "I was too quick. Too angry. Too blinded by my grief and anger that I… that I forgot a friend and saw only an enemy."

She bowed her head, eyes swimming with tears. Not for the first time that day, Lance found himself crying — not in fear, like before, but in sadness and shared pain.

"I made an enemy out of you, too," he said. "You proved I could trust you, but I still didn't."

"It's not your fault," Allura said. "None of it was. It was mine, all mine, and I was too foolish to see it and too stubborn to admit that _I_ was wrong."

"No," Lance said. "No, no…"

Allura wept.

"Of us all, you suffered the most. You…" Allura couldn't finish. "What you had to face, what you had to endure. Zarkon—"

"Zarkon betrayed all of us," Lance said through his tears. "He took away everyone we cared about, everything we loved."

"It's just us now," Allura whispered, her voice cracking. She sniffled. "The three of us."

"Three," Lance said. "That's— that's more than one. Means that we're not—"

"—alone," Allura finished for him. She'd wiped her eyes, and they were clearer now. Sorrowful, still, and sorry, but clear.

"You're not alone," she said fiercely, gripping his arm. "And I will not… I swear I will not let you be alone again."

"Princess," he said, sobbing. "Allura."

Allura surged forward and threw her arms around his neck. Her breath was shaky against his neck, and Lance slowly put his arms around her.

When she didn't let go, Lance cried into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she kept saying. "We need to… we need to talk more. Later. I need to apologize again, but I…"

She pulled back and smiled. Lance laughed through his tears.

"I'll listen this time. I'll be better," Allura promised, "and I will be with you, so you do not have to bear your burden alone."

Something nagged at the back of his mind.

"Allura," he started. "I… thank you. Really. But there's something else I wanted to tell you about. Why I came to find you. I…"

"Of course," Allura said, staring at him. "Of course, anything."

"I—"

As soon as the thought came, it fled. Lance frowned, but his heart was aching, and his mind was clouded. Maybe it was all the crying and apologizing.

Allura seemed confused, too. A fog settled around him, and his feelings went numb and dull, like there was now a barrier separating his mind and his emotions. All that was left was a longing to go home.

Around them, an invisible wind swept through the tall grasses, ruffling the pink flowers.

"I wish we could go back," Allura said, speaking the words on his mind.

"Me, too," he replied, staring at Altea. It looked so real. It all looked so real.

"We could… it would all be fixed," she said.

There was something wrong. Her eyes were distant, now, and so was Allura's voice.

But as soon as Lance opened his mouth to warn him, a buzzing began in the back of his head. His thoughts faded, the fear and suspicion disappearing.

He frowned. What had he been thinking?

" _You can go home._ "

King Alfor materialized in front of him. He was smiling.

"Home?"

Allura's voice was so soft he almost missed the word.

"Home…," Lance echoed. A little sadness slipped into his bones, like cool water down his spine.

"I haven't been home in so long," he murmured. "Haven't had a home in so long."

He was swaying, he realized. It didn't matter.

Alfor knelt in front of them, holding out both his hands for them to grip. He smiled wider.

" _Yes, Talin_ ," Alfor said.

He shivered at the name. Talin.

" _We can go home at last… together._ "

Talin. Memories swum in front of his eyes, gone before he could think about them. The only thing he could remember was Altea, the smell of juniberries so potent it must have been real.

Back to Altea, hiking in the hills and staring up at the stars he'd been taught all the names of. Back to Altea, clean, pure, untouched.

" _You used to dance here_ ," Alfor said. " _The holodeck used to be a ballroom, quite beautiful at that._ "

"Used to be a ballroom," Talin repeated. An echo of a memory slipped through the fog. "Sister…"

" _Brother,_ " another voice said. Someone knelt in front of him, and Talin stared at the ground, not daring to look up.

" _Anam_ ," came the girl again, and he looked up. Am'lei was smiling brilliantly in front of him, beautiful and bright as ever. " _Come with me._ "

Trusting, he took her hand and stood slowly. Beside them, Allura and her father were in deep conversation, Alfor spinning Allura in his arms like a dance as they swept down the hall.

Talin followed Alfor's steps. They were going home.

Suddenly, Am'lei gripped his hand tighter. She seemed to flicker for a moment, and he frowned at her, the fog receding slightly.

" _Lance,_ " she said urgently. She glanced at Alfor and Allura's retreating forms. " _Lance, there's something…_ "

She flickered again.

Am'lei had said something, but Talin had suddenly forgotten it.

"What?"

" _Nothing_ ," she said, and he relaxed. He could trust her. " _Hurry, Talin._ "

That lull in the fog came again.

"You never call me that," he said, frowning.

" _Call you what?_ "

Am'lei giggled.

"Talin," he replied, confused. "That's my first name…"

Am'lei looped her arms through his. She was so happy to see him, so happy that they were together again that he forgot again what he had been thinking.

" _Forgetting your own name? That's a new one. Guess you haven't gotten any smarter._ "

He nudged her in the ribs. "Hey!"

She laughed, unlinking their arms and darting forward through the Castle halls. He wasn't sure when they'd gotten there, but Am'lei glanced over her shoulder, eyes gleaming.

" _Bet you can't catch me, slowpoke!_ "

Her words spurned him forwards.

"Oh, I will," he growled, giving chase. She was suddenly gone, out of sight, and Lance ran faster. "Am'lei?"

He burst suddenly into the control room. Allura was already there, staring out the glass windows and into space. Alfor was next to her, but Am'lei was gone completely.

" _Come, Talin_ ," his king beckoned, and he obeyed.

A bright blue mass opened in front of them, and the Castle shuddered slightly as it passed through the wormhole. Talin forgot everything else as he stared at the sight in front of them.

Allura stepped next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Altea," she whispered joyously, tears in her eyes.

And before them, Altea waited, beautiful as he remembered it and untouched by the Galra.


	26. Chapter 26

**familiar** _  
chapter twenty-six_

* * *

"Home," Talin said, shivering. He took a slow, hesitant step forward. " _Home._ "

Allura began to cry silently, covering her eyes with her hands.

"Home," she repeated.

Yes—he could see it. He hadn't been home for such a long time, but there was a sense of relief settling into his bones.

" _You are loyal to me, are you not?_ "

Talin turned to see the king, cold eyes gazing at him. He dropped to his knees, bowing his head.

"Yes, Majesty."

There was the pounding of footsteps. Five others burst into the room, all of them vaguely familiar, though Lance couldn't place their faces. He only recognized one—the royal advisor, Coran. The others were wearing the paladin armor, though, and it made Talin pause.

" _Then you will obey my orders,_ " King Alfor said. He swept a hand towards the intruders. "They _are not paladins. Protect the princess._ "

"Lance!"

"Princess!"

"What the _hell_?"

Dangerous. They were all dangerous, and they were here to stop Allura, to hurt her. Talin was a protector—he couldn't let them do that. By his side, his bayard extended into his rifle, and he gripped it tightly.

"Allura, what's going on?" Coran asked.

Allura turned back to the controls, her posture straight and sure.

"Don't you see?" she asked, her voice faraway, like it was coming out of a dream. "I'm taking us home, to Altea."

"Lance, what's going on?"

Talin realized that the king had erected a barrier between them and their enemies. When he reached forward with a hand, he found that he could pass through it.

The paladins, though, couldn't. The red one pounded on the shield, yelling, and Talin's lip curled. He'd be the first to go.

He took a step through, raising his gun.

They hesitated, making no move to attack, so Talin took his chance. He fired at the Red Paladin, and the boy yelled as he dove to the ground, the shots missing him.

"Lance, stop this!"

Talin slid his eyes to the Yellow Paladin. His eyes were wide and pleading, and unlike the others, he carried no weapon. He had his hands up.

"Lance, please, listen to me. I'm your best friend, buddy. Remember me? Hunk?"

Talin shivered. He sounded so hurt.

"Hold," he heard someone say distantly. "Don't move. Hunk, keep talking."

Hunk wet his lips, shifting forward slowly as he kept his hands up. Lance reacted to the movement, aiming his gun point-blank at Hunk's chest, and he stopped.

"C'mon, Lance. I know you're in there. You're my friend."

"You're threatening my home," Talin growled.

"That is _not_ your home," Hunk said fiercely. He held his arms out. "You lost your home a long time ago, Lance. But… you have one here, too. With us."

His gun shook in his hands, and Talin stumbled back through the barrier as if it could protect him from the words, too. He turned to face King Alfor and found his gun still raised. There was an ugly feeling overcoming him, an uneasiness that wouldn't leave him.

 _"_ _You would turn on your king?"_ howled King Alfor. He dissipated and reappeared in front of Talin, eyes a sickly yellow.

"No," said Talin lowly, but his voice was weak and his hands unsteady. His gun shivered in his grip. "Of course not, Majesty…"

" _You are not worthy of Voltron."_

"Shut up," said Talin fiercely. "That's not true. I… I didn't…"

 _"_ _But you did!"_ King Alfor cried. _"Am I not dead because of you? Did my people not fall because of you?"_

 _"_ _No,"_ Talin moaned, but he was crumbling into dust, falling apart at the seams. There was a soft touch on his shoulder; Allura put her hand on his arm, her expression wistful.

"I'm taking us home, Talin," she said. "Don't you want to go home?"

That uneasy feeling returned when Talin looked back out towards Altea, deep blue, surrounded by her three mech-rings.

They'd land the Lions on the third ring – the moment Lance stepped out, Blue would be whisked away to be cleaned, checked, and pampered. He'd say a small goodbye and run to the Castle – well, the part of it that stayed behind, anyway. There, his family would be waiting with open arms to welcome him home.

"Of course I do," Talin said, staring at Altea. For a moment, it seemed to flicker, to warp and change. His stomach twisted. "Allura, I think… I think something's wrong."

"Wrong?" she echoed. Altea flickered again.

 _"_ _I will forgive you,"_ said King Alfor, joining them on Lance's other side. _"Join us, Talin. We can rid this universe of the Galra – and we will, after we have gone home."_

He held out his hand, and his face was kinder, now. A chill travelled down his spine, but Talin ignored it.

 _"_ _Talin,"_ he said again, _"come."_

King Alfor was so promising, so _sure_ ; Talin reached for his hand. He would be forgiven for what he'd done…

Taking the memory's hand was like touching ice – or maybe that was just him. He suddenly felt very cold, like he'd just plunged into the water during winter.

King Alfor clasped his hand; his touch felt _wrong_. It wasn't a wrong in that King Alfor wasn't truly there, but something far darker, tainted. Talin felt like he'd just touched a jukoli flower – a mistake he'd made once. The flowers were poisonous, far deadlier than they first appeared.

"Are you alright?" asked Allura as he recoiled, taking a step backward. His bayard clattered to the ground, changing from a gun back to its original form once it left his grip.

 _Wrong. Wrong. Wrong._

Wrong, this was all wrong—

 _WRONG. WRONG. WRONG—_

Those weren't his thoughts. Talin struggled, caught between King Alfor and Allura and this new voice, strange but familiar.

"Blue?"

The moment he recognized her, the wall between them shattered. Blue tore into his mind, her presence cutting through the haze that had fallen over him. She roared, and he let her merge her mind with him.

He could see. _They_ could see.

They stared at the planet before them – _no_ , they thought, not a planet but a star. Fire danced on its surface, and they watched as it flared brighter, the flames waiting to devour them.

King Alfor moved in front of them, and everything flickered again. There— there was Altea, there, in front of him. Talin shook his head, his brows creasing as he tried to make sense of it.

He lifted a hand to press to his temples, a headache blooming on the forefront of his mind, and paused, staring at his fingers.

 _LANCE._

Talin—

 _LANCE._

Lance?

 _YOU ARE LANCE._

 _I am?_

 _LOOK, MY PALADIN. SEE._

Lance blinked; this time, it wasn't the illusion that King Alfor had created that had fallen away – it was King Alfor himself. Where he should have been light was now cloaked in shadows, all of them a deep black that almost looked purple.

This wasn't King Alfor. This wasn't the king he'd known, the king he would have rode to the mouth of hell for. This was— this is someone else entirely… _something_ else.

King Alfor turned his eyes back onto Lance. He seemed to know what Lance could see and surged forward, wrapping his hands around Lance's throat.

"Let him go!"

"Alfor, what are you doing?"

 _"_ _Traitor,"_ said King Alfor, squeezing tighter and making stars dance across Lance's vision. Blue roared as he strained, trying to get air. _"If you are of no use to your king, so be it."_

He was tossed back; Lance slammed into something hard and cried out as electricity raced through his body.

" _You,"_ gasped Lance, "are _not_ my king."

His throat burned where not-Alfor had grasped it. Lance still couldn't seem to catch his breath; he moaned, pushing himself up on his hands in a desperate bid to get up and fight.

" _Allura,"_ said not-Alfor smoothly, his voice as calm as the waters' surface on a quiet day. " _Do not listen to any of them. They are here to stop us."_

"Yes, Father," Allura said. "Don't worry."

He tried to get up again, pain sparking in his body with every movement. His bayard— it was right there. If he could reach it…

The others were pounding on the shield that not-Alfor had created, but Lance knew they couldn't get through it. Only he could stop them.

"Lance, _get up!_ "

It was so hard. It was so, so hard; Lance reached with trembling fingers to touch his throat. His lungs burned with every short breath, and his vision was already dimming.

In the background, Blue's roaring began to sound like the waves. He'd always loved the ocean, had always said he had saltwater running through his veins. He'd grown up by the water, never once fearing the power of the waves. He'd never had to, not with his mother.

Was this what drowning felt like? He'd never known, had never been scared of his lungs filling with water. It was as terrifying as Lance had ever imagined – dark and cold; a deceptively-close surface above him that he would never break though; the slow realization that he had failed.

"Lance, dammit, _get up!_ "

He dragged himself forward, scrambling for his bayard, but it was kicked out of his reach. Lance fell backwards, not-Alfor coming to stand in front of him.

 _"_ _You think a gun can stop me?"_

Not-Alfor towered over him; his eyes flashed a yellow that reminded Lance of Haggar's eyes. Haggar, a master Druid, who he'd met long before any of his fellow paladins, who had given him—

His lungs filled suddenly with air.

Not-Alfor wasn't just a memory anymore. With the help of the virus that still ran through the Castle, he had become into something that was a ghost of who he'd been, able to do things no memory core should have been able to. This was quintessence – not pure, like the Lions', but tainted.

Everything in his body screamed for him not to move, but Lance bared his teeth in a terrible smile.

He didn't need to look to know that light was flaring from his hands, pooling at his fingers. Lance pressed both his hands to the barrier, and the tips of his fingers glowed as the barrier shuddered.

Once, twice, energy rippling across the surface. And then it shattered, and Lance fell forward, coughing.

"Allura, stop this!" Coran yelled, running forward. "It's not real!"

"I've got you," a voice murmured, and there was Hunk, kneeling beside him. "I've got you, Lance. It's alright."

" _Of course it is,_ " not-Alfor purred, stepping around Coran. He pressed a juniberry flower into Allura's hand. " _Don't you see?_ "

"But where is the fragrance of the sweet juniberries?" Coran asked, eyes flashing. "It's not real, Allura. Wake up."

Allura's eyes were unfocused. She took a deep breath as Lance held his.

"This…"

She turned to face her father.

"When that star goes supernova, it will destroy the entire system. Allura, you must reset the course and get us out of here!" Pidge shouted.

Allura was shaking her head. She gripped not-Alfor's arms, tears streaming down her face.

"Father, stop this," she pleaded. There was horror on her face as the glow of the star painted her silver hair red. "Turn this ship back. If you don't, we will all perish."

Not-Alfor seemed to soften. There was love written in his face — twisted love, Lance saw, but love nonetheless.

"I know," he said. "That is my intention."

Allura gasped sharply. "Why…?"

" _Zarkon has been ruling for 10,000 years, daughter_ ," he said, taking her face in his hands. " _You cannot win._ "

"That's not true," Shiro shouted. "We will."

"We have to fight," Allura said.

" _For what? Altea is destroyed. You don't have to fight anymore, Allura._ " He gestured at the burning star. " _You can join me in the stars at last. The rest of our people. They are all waiting for you._ "

Allura shook her head.

"They would want me to fight." She lifted her head, chin trembling, as she said, "So I will not stop. I have trust in my paladins—we _will_ defeat Zarkon."

Allura put a hand over not-Alfor's heart. "Surely, Father," she whispered. "Somewhere in there, you want that."

Lance saw the moment when he rippled, when the quintessence brightened.

" _Allura_ ," Alfor said. " _Daughter…_ "

He turned to Lance, and their eyes met. Hunk helped Lance when he sat up straighter, trying to crawl to his feet.

" _You know what must be done._ "

"I… yes," Lance said.

Alfor flickered again.

"Allura!" Lance shouted, struggling to stand. "You have to disconnect the power source! His AI is corrupted."

"Go, Princess," Coran urged, and Allura gathered her skirts, running forwards.

" _We can stroll across the Blossom Canyon every morning, just like we used to. Remember how much you loved that?"_

"Yes, Father," Allura said softly. "I remember. I have to go to the holodeck to disconnect the source manually."

Coran's eyes widened.

"Then we will lose King Alfor forever," he cried.

Allura straightened.

"Paladins, to your Lions," she commanded. She was still poised to leave the room, her back facing towards them. "Slow the Castle if you can."

" _Don't do this,_ " not-Alfor warned. Instead of facing Allura, he turned to Lance, stopping in front of him. " _If you do this, my memories and my knowledge will be lost forever… but I will not be the only one._ "

Am'lei reappeared, her face carefully blank.

"No," Lance sobbed. He stretched a hand out to touch her, and Am'lei indulged him, linking their fingers together. She felt so real.

Then she knelt so they could see eye to eye.

" _Anam_ ," she said, looking into his soul.

" _Anam_ ," Lance sighed.

Her expression softened. It was her—really, really her.

" _Let me go, Lance,_ " she said.

Lance looked up and found Allura watching, hesitant. The others had already gone to their hangars; when he glanced out the windows, he saw the Lions pressing against the Castle, delaying their collision.

"Go, Allura," he said, and Lance found his voice raw. "Hurry."

" _We don't have long,_ " Am'lei said, running her fingers over his face. Her quintessence pulsed brightly, and Lance fed hers with his, keeping the darkness at bay.

There was so much he needed to say and not enough time to share.

"I'm sorry," he told her. "Am'lei… I couldn't… I'm sorry."

Am'lei cupped his face. " _Lance, it wasn't your fault. You have to be strong._ "

"I know," he whispered. "It's hard."

" _Hunk was right,_ " she said. " _You have a home here. You have to keep fighting. We'll see each other again._ "

"One day," Lance said, searching her face and drinking her in. She looked like he remembered, strong and kind, nothing like the empty body he'd held that night so long ago.

" _One day,_ " Am'lei promised, and she pressed a kiss to his forehead. " _But not today._ "

There was nothing Lance could tell her now that she didn't know—that he missed her, that he loved her, that this was goodbye.

"I never told you," he whispered. Am'lei met his eyes. "Thank you. You did so much for me. Taught me so much. And you loved me through it all… so thank you."

Lance shuffled back, his body flaring in pain.

"Goodbye, Am'lei," he said.

She smiled, her eyes sad but clear. "Goodbye, Lance."

The Castle stopped. Light raced through the room, and the corrupted quintessence that had infected the Castle disappeared. When he blinked, his vision blurred by tears, Am'lei was gone, too.

Coran knelt at the console.

"She did it," he said.

"She did it," Lance choked.

Allura swept back in the room. Her eyes were red-rimmed, but she walked over to Lance and held out a hand. He took it.

"Princess," he said.

"Lance," she replied, voice shaking. "Paladins, back to your hangars. I'm going to open a wormhole. We're getting out of here."

"You saved us… I'm sorry, Princess," he said softly. To give up her father…

Her smile was sad. "I'm sorry, too, Lance."

Lance's lips lifted in response.

His body still hurt, but Lance found himself able to move, stretching out. He snatched his bayard from the floor, groaning.

The other paladins were back in a minute. Shiro crossed over to Allura.

"I'm sorry about your father, Princess," he said, and Lance took a step back so he could fade in the background. His chest was aching with loss, and he wasn't sure he wanted any more apologies.

"We all are," Hunk piped up.

Keith made his way through the room to stand next to Lance. He brushed their shoulders together, and Lance took the comfort for what it was.

"That wasn't my father," Allura said, holding her head high. "The real King Alfor was a great king and an even greater father. I may have lost him, but his dream lives on—through us. His legacy is Voltron."

Coran stepped up, looking like Allura's words had woken something in him.

"We will keep fighting," he said. "For him, and for all those we have lost."

"And so no one else will be," Keith added.

Lance felt his heart begin to glow with hope as he looked around the room at the others' faces and their determination. He let his heart ache for another moment longer and then hardened it with his own determination.

He thought of Am'lei, and then thought of all the people he'd lost. His team. His parents, Celia, and Ren. The friends he'd made on and off the battlefield.

Lance would see them all again one day—but long after Zarkon was gone.

For now, he would keep fighting.


	27. Chapter 27

**familiar**  
chapter _twenty-seven_

* * *

Lance was flipping through the pages of some old transcripted logs when a presence settled down next to him. He didn't look up, instead choosing to finish his page, but he could tell it was Pidge by her light footsteps and the _thunk_ her laptop made when she set it down.

There were a few moments when neither of them said anything. Lance continued reading, but his attention was split now, half of it on the logs and half of it on the girl next to him, keeping his ears open for when she wanted to speak.

Pidge shifted. She'd brought her laptop and was typing away on it slowly; out of the corner of his eye, he watched lines of script scroll across the screen.

Maybe she didn't want to say anything, Lance reasoned. That was fine by him, too. He'd always been a loud, talkative person, but he'd found an appreciation for quiet lately.

Pidge cleared her throat.

"What happened, Lance?"

He lowered his book, thumb on the word he'd stopped on as it shut.

"You mean, with the—the AI?"

Pidge nodded. She leaned back on her hands and cocked her head as she looked at him. She looked angry and confused.

"Yeah. But—you're not…" She made a frustrated noise and gestured wildly with her hands. "You and Allura. What…?"

Lance ducked his head. "Oh."

Pidge leaned in. "I get that, like, she's the Princess. And I guess you must have some sort of loyalty to her? And we're here to defend the universe, bottom line, but I don't—you guys just…?"

"We were talking," he said, "before the AI took over. And she apologized for, uh, everything, I guess, and so did I."

Pidge hummed.

"And we've been talking," Lance said, "about our past and our future. The people we've lost, the things we miss, being together."

"So you two are… okay now."

Lance ran his tongue over his teeth. He finally figured out what Pidge wanted.

"We're getting there," he said. "I don't think what happened can just go away after some talking and stuff, but we're healing, I think?"

Pidge nodded, pursing her lips. "So no more invisible threats."

Lance made a face and stuck his tongue out at her, so Pidge retaliated by jabbing him with her foot.

"Unless you're planning a prank war, nope. Allura _or_ Keith."

Pidge's eyes lit up.

"Prank war."

Lance snorted. "What do you want?"

Pidge only waggled her eyebrows. "Can you keep a secret?"

Her laptop beeped before they could continue. Pidge's excitement didn't change, though her focus did.

"I think the team needs to see this," she said, and Lance nodded. "I'm _almost_ done with all the translations. We should have what we need in an hour tops."

Lance ruffled her hair as he got up, attempting to stuff his book in his pocket.

"Good work, Pidgey. I'll get the others, then?"

"I think Shiro, Allura, and Coran are already on the bridge. I'll get Hunk, you get Keith?"

He shot her a thumbs up.

It turned out, though, that he couldn't find Keith. He wasn't in his room or on the training deck, nor was he anywhere Lance checked.

Coran had made a little announcement over the Castle speakers, so Lance figured Keith had already left for the bridge.

"Lance! Hey, Lance… wait up."

Lance slowed at the sound of Keith's voice and paused outside the entryway.

"Oh. There you are. I've been looking for you."

"You have?"

Lance shrugged. "Was supposed to come find you, but I guess it turned out the other way around."

"Oh."

"Hey," he offered. Keith nodded back.

"I… wanted to say sorry," he said, "about Am'lei. I know—you two must have meant a lot to each other."

Lance swallowed and looked away, trying not to think too much about saying goodbye.

"Yeah," he replied. Then he lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "Thanks. We were… yeah. But I lost her a long time ago."

They walked in and found the rest of the team gathered around Pidge's computer, text rolling across her screen.

"Somewhere in Sendak's memories is the key to defeating Zarkon," Allura said, crossing her arms.

"I don't think your father would approve of this," Coran replied. He looked uneasy, but it seemed that he hadn't disagreed enough to stop Pidge.

"No, I don't think so, either. But we need every advantage we can get. Do you have anything yet, Pidge?"

Pidge hummed as Lance and Keith joined the crowd.

"It's all in bits and pieces," she said. "I don't know."

"We'll need something to work with," Keith said. "Like… a map or something."

"Ooh," Lance said. "A map might be useful. We could hit up a nice space mall on our way to defeating Zarkon, you know, grab a few essentials."

"Those exist?" Hunk looked over. "Any chance we can get our hands on space burgers? I've been craving real food."

"Seconded," Keith said.

Pidge didn't turn or stop typing, but she said, "Keith, you lived in a shack in the middle of nowhere. I doubt you've had real food in, like, a _year_."

"Of course I did. Raided the Garrison kitchens every now and then."

Hunk snapped his fingers. "Is _that_ why we had a roll shortage? Gee, Keith, you could've left some for the rest of us poor, hungry souls. You know those are one of the only things that are _good_."

Keith squinted at him, spreading his arms. "That's why I took them!"

" _Guys_."

The three shut up, but Hunk glared at Keith, pointing between them as if to say _I'm watching you._ Keith only rolled his eyes.

"When I cross-reference this," Pidge started, "with what I managed to download from that ship on Arus… well, all of it points to some kind of universal station."

"A universal station," Lance said, snickering.

"So… can you control the entire universe from there? Is that what it means?" Hunk asked.

"Well," Pidge said. "Could also be _galactic hub._ "

"Why not space base?" Lance asked. " _I_ want a space base."

" _Lance_."

"What?" he asked, spreading his arms out.

"Coran," Allura said, ignoring him. "Plug in the coordinates."

"On it."

He typed in the coordinates, searching for the station. Coran turned back to them with a frown.

"I'm not sure where it is," he said. "I've sent the locations to your screens, but if you see, our long-range sensors say there's nothing at the coordinates."

"You think Sendak forgot?"

"I dunno, he doesn't seem like the kind of guy with a bad memory."

"Maybe he's old."

" _Or_ this is a top-secret base," Pidge said, crossing her arms and leveling a glare at them over her glasses.

Allura was already at the controls. "Only one way to find out."

It took a while, long enough that Hunk managed to fall asleep in his seat. The others weren't very patient, either.

"So what was she like?"

Lance let out a shriek that was higher than he liked and hissed at Keith, who was trying not to laugh.

"What?"

"You know," Keith said, lowering his voice and looking around as if they were talking about something illegal. "Am'lei."

Lance scratched his head.

"Um," he said.

"I talked to her," Keith said in a rush, but he hesitated after like he thought Lance would be mad. "I mean, her AI. She sounded… uh, cool, I guess."

Lance chuckled. "Yeah. I think I'd describe her as... hmm. Intimidating, maybe."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "Really."

Lance hummed. "She was very tall and imposing, and her presence could fill a room. Could kill you with a look and could be super cold and blunt, too. But she was really sweet for the most part."

"What about Red?"

Lance cocked his head. "Red?"

"Yeah, like…"

"I think she and Red bonded almost immediately," Lance said, thinking back. "We—Am'lei and I—were the newest paladins, but she'd become one right before me, so I wasn't there. But they met on a mission, I think, and she helped them succeed. Um, Zarkon, uh, thought she might be a good fit for Red, and she was."

"Oh," Keith said, though he was frowning a little. "Sounds easier than me."

Lance shrugged. "Red's a little temperamental. I think she likes me well enough, but you never know."

Keith huffed.

"Hey," Lance said, "uh, back when she flew Red, Am'lei loved to take her out at night and just fly. Explore whatever planet we were on or the stars and stuff."

Keith made a surprised noise, like he wasn't sure why Lance was sharing this with him.

"I used to join her, sometimes," Lance said wistfully. "We'd race around the moons. Anyway, I just thought—well. You don't have to. But I think Red would like it."

Keith cocked his head and then nodded slowly. Then he smiled.

"I bet I'm faster than you."

"Are not!"

They got so loud that Hunk fell out of his chair, yelping as he woke up on the floor.

"Sorry, dude," Lance called, only a bit guilty.

"We should be close," Allura said. "Close enough to see if there really is a base at the coordinates. Scanners?"

"On it, Princess."

Shiro's face split into a grim smile.

"There it is."

"It appears the gravitation between the two planets warps the electron emission spectrum enough to keep the planet off the deep space scanners."

"Science," Lance muttered. "Ew."

Pidge looked more interested than him. "So you can only see it if you know where to look." She grinned. "Smart."

"Look at that _ship_ ," Hunk said, pointing at the one that had just landed.

"This base probably handles shipments from all over the Empire," Shiro said.

"What's so important about it, then? If it's just some kind of port, then why spend so much effort trying to hide it?"

"There's something more we're not seeing here…"

"But what?"

Allura clapped her hands, all business and no play. "We'll have to go and see."

Lance's heart plummeted in his chest. Of course.

"Ah… _we_?" Keith asked. "You mean—"

Allura raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going with you," she said matter-of-factly, "seeing as I know this place better than you. That's a Galran transportation hub—it may have been many years, but the designs haven't changed at all. I went many times with my father when I was young. I know more about them than any of you."

Satisfied with what she'd spoken, Allura glanced around the room waiting for them to protest.

It wasn't safe for her to go. His instincts were straining, telling him that he needed to stop her, as was his duty.

But Lance knew there was no stopping her. Memories of a steadfast and stubborn princess rose in his mind—they hadn't been close, really, but he knew her well enough to know she wouldn't back down.

He'd do the second best thing he could do as a paladin, he supposed—he could keep her safe.

"Princess," Coran said. "I'd rather you stay here."

"Is that so."

" _Someone_ 's not taking any shit today."

"I'm a part of the fight against Zarkon as much as my paladins are, and I'm going. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

Pidge whistled lowly. Coran looked a bit stunned, though Lance wasn't sure how he expected anything else.

Shiro nodded, shrugging in a _what-can-you-do_ manner. "Fine. Suit up."

Shiro stopped the team outside of the hangars.

"We're taking Green."

"What?"

"No Lions?"

"Shiro…"

"We'll go in low, fast, and hopefully undetected. Coming around the dark side of the nearest planet should keep them from getting a visual on us," Shiro explained. "Thanks to Pidge's modifications to the Green Lion, we'll have about 30 seconds of cloaking."

"It's the best way for us to stay off the radar."

Coran waved a hand, taking over. "I can flood their short-range sensors with a radiation burst. That should buy you a minute or so, while they assume it's cosmic interference. But, after that, it's up to you to be out of sight."

"Oh, good idea," Hunk said. Then he frowned. "Though I kind of object to the part where we all squish into Green. The smallest Lion, and we're trying to fit, like, all six of us? We were tight enough in _Blue_."

"That's the point," Keith grumbled. "With a smaller Lion _and_ Pidge's cloaking, there's less of a chance that we'll be caught."

"Come on," Pidge called, striding across the hangar and patting Green's nose as she climbed in. "More squishing, less talking about said squishing."

They did manage to climb into Green's cockpit, though Lance was pressed against the back wall with Allura's hair partially blocking his view. He pushed down the urge to climb down into the belly in Green's cabin—he wouldn't be able to see what was going on otherwise.

"Are you ready, Coran?"

" _Ready. When you land, tell me._ "

"Got it."

Pidge steered Green from the hangar, and from the glimpse of her face Lance caught, she looked focused and determined on the mission ahead. His bayard flashed in his hand, ready for him.

"Alright, Pidge," Shiro said. "Cloaking on now."

"Yessir," she said, thumbing over her controls. "Cloaking device activated. Let's go, Green."

Lance watched what looked like a shield ripple around the Lion. Though he couldn't tell, he knew that the Green Lion had seemingly disappeared in space. It was an incredible feat.

"You should do something like this for all the Lions when you get a chance," Keith said, tapping his finger against his chin. "It'd be useful in battle."

"You're right," Shiro said, and his gaze was contemplative as he faced Keith. He seemed to pause for a moment. "If we can cloak the Lions, we'll be able to complete stealth missions and have an upper hand in surprising the Galra in battle. Good thinking, Keith."

"Huh," Hunk said as they stole around the planet. "I think… if we replicated this… hmm… and maybe we could even test about extending the cloaking time? Yes, and we could study the invisible maze in the training deck…"

"Don't forget all that stuff that's going on in your brain," Pidge said, reaching out blindly and patting Hunk's arm. "When we get back to the Castle, that's our next project."

"Alright, Coran," Pidge said. "About to land."

" _On it. You're good to go._ "

"Thanks, Coran."

The cloak rippled again as they landed. Right on time, then.

"Definitely have to make it last longer," Hunk said, "but good one, Pidge."

Pidge beamed. "Thanks, Hunk."

"Okay, guys. It's time to go in."

"Bayards ready," Shiro warned, and Lance let his rifle form, holding it loosely but ready to shoot if needed. One by one, they armed themselves.

They were right behind the base, facing the landing bays. In the center was a tall watchtower, probably where they hailed in ships. Lance could make out a few dark shapes through the window that wrapped around the building—they'd have to take a few guards out.

"No one out here," Shiro reported. "We can probably make it to the watchtower without being seen, but we'll have be careful once we're there. Be ready."

He led the way to the watchtower. Hunk fell back so he and Lance were together, aiming their guns around the group as they watched for movement.

"See anything?"

"All clear."

The others ran ahead. Lance and Hunk kept an eye out, guns ready as they followed.

When they caught up, Shiro held up a hand. He made a gesture to wait, pointing at himself and the Galran guard and then the two sentries at the controls. Lance shot him a thumbs up.

Shiro crept into the room as Lance lined up his shot. He managed to make it right behind the guard.

"Hey," he said.

The guard turned, and Shiro punched in the face, his arm glowing. Lance barely had time to wince—poor guy—before the other two sentries were turning.

Only a moment later, the watchtower was theirs.

Lance dragged the sentry across the ground, leaving it out of their way as the others gathered around Pidge. She'd connected to the mainframe and was already downloading the info stored there.

"Keith. How's it looking?"

Keith strode to the windows, peering out into space. His eyes swept left and right before he turned back.

"We're all clear."

"This shouldn't take too long," Hunk said.

"Yeah," Pidge said. "Only a couple of minutes, no worries."

Shiro looked impressed. "That fast?"

"Oh, yeah. Hunk and I worked on some improvements since last time—the translation will be nice and clean. Hunk had _the_ best idea…"

Hunk blushed. "Yeah, yeah. Do you guys remember when we studied algorithms at the Garrison, and Mr. York told us that joke about the ghost learning symbolic logic and innumerably infinite sets?

"We did?" Lance frowned. "I don't remember that."

"You were probably asleep. Or taking notes on… whatever you were always taking notes on. It was definitely never class stuff."

Lance huffed. "You try fitting in on Earth as an alien."

"Wait." Hunk spun to face Lance. "You weren't joking that one time you took notes on _memes_."

"I'd take notes on memes," Shiro said, raising a finger. "Actually, more Matt than _me_ , but… you know he wrote an essay including memes once? Got a pretty high grade, too."

"Ugh," Pidge said. "Matt."

She sounded happy to hear about it, though. It made Lance miss his siblings.

"Uh, guys? We have company."

"Do we need to get out of here?"

"No," Pidge cried. "I'm almost done downloading the intel. I just need a few more seconds."

"Stay low," Shiro said. "Do _not_ let yourself be seen."

Lance grabbed a sentry and dragged it out of view before ducking low to the ground. The others followed suit, Hunk crouching over Pidge and watching while she finished.

"Guys, get down!"

A transmission appeared on the screen, and Lance held his breath as a Galra from the ship peered into the watchtower.

"Holy shi…"

"Shut _up_."

"Why is he still looking?"

Lance eyed the Galra.

"Think he's waiting for a signal or something. And it's suspicious if everyone's gone…"

"Guys, guys, guys. I got this. Don't worry."

Hunk crawled out from his hiding spot, waving his hand at Lance. He glanced at the sentry next to him and shoved him towards Hunk, metal clattering loudly.

He made it stand up, staying hidden behind the sentry, and then waved the sentry's arm in what Lance assumed was a _hello_. Then he shot the soldier a thumbs-up and a set of finger guns.

"Oh my God, Hunk. Finger guns?"

"Shhh!"

"Did he buy it?"

Lance worried at his lip, but then the transmission ended, the ship landing in the bay. Hunk let the sentry fall, and Lance laughed.

"You did it! Nice one, Hunk."

"Thanks."

"Okay, I've got it!"

"What's it say?"

Lance sped-read through the text on the screen. They looked like mostly numbers.

 _2\. .1526. CS._

 _2\. .0213. IC._

 _2\. .2352. CS._

"What the hell are those?"

"Language."

"I cuss all the time?"

Shiro scowled.

"I think they're just records," Pidge said. "Like, a schedule of when ships come in… nothing useful."

"Well, I guess we're done here, then."

Lance moved to the window, staring at the ship that had just docked.

"Wait…" He frowned. "Guys, have we seen this ship before?"

Hunk glanced up at him. "Don't they all pretty much look the same?"

"No, I swear we've seen this one before…"

"We should head back to the Castle."

"Hold on. Pidge, can you find out how long this ship will be here and where it's headed?"

"Uhhh." Pidge stuck her tongue out as she typed. "Well, it's here for half an hour, and then it'll be going back to… Central Command, I think?"

Allura's eyes gleamed. "That's where the information is, not here."

"Um, we can't exactly sneak on that ship, Princess."

Allura smiled grimly. " _I_ don't need to. I can just walk right through the front door."

"This is a really bad idea."

"Seconded."

"It's too dangerous—you can't go."

Allura raised an eyebrow. "And I need your permission to?"

"Let me go with you."

Shiro crossed his arms, waiting.

"And how are _you_ supposed to go? Last time I checked, you weren't Galra."

"Neither is Allura."

Allura waved a hand dismissively. "So you think."

She shifted into a Galra, her skin turning purple and her build taller and broader. Lance was impressed by how effortless she'd made it look, but she'd probably had far more practice than him.

He'd heard that the royals even had shapeshifting lessons, mastering the art for diplomacy. They were able to change into hundreds if not thousands of aliens. If he was being honest, Lance probably knew enough to shift into five.

Pidge's mouth dropped open.

Hunk squinted. "How did you… _what_?"

Keith didn't look surprised, though. He gestured a hand at Lance. "I mean, there had to be a reason Lance managed to look human, right?"

Lance was suddenly and painfully aware that he was still human—not Altean.

"Alteans are a shapeshifting people," Allura explained for the others. "We're able to blend in with the local population. It's allowed us to be great diplomats and explorers in the past."

"We're like alien chameleons," Lance said.

"Gotcha."

"Cool."

Allura turned to Lance. "Then you're able to go with me."

Lance straightened, and all eyes turned to him. He swallowed. Now that he was thinking about it, he hadn't ever shifted in front of the others—minus the time he'd shifted in front of Keith, though that hadn't been under the best circumstances.

"Ah. Right."

He felt a bit exposed, but Lance closed his eyes and focused. Fur crept along the back of his hands and his feet; he could feel himself growing taller, his bones thickening under his skin.

"This is—weird."

Pidge adjusted her glasses. "Agreed."

"Well done," Allura said, and Lance smiled, scratching the back of his head.

"You're better than me, though."

She shrugged. "Nonsense."

Keith stood up, frowning. He didn't look terribly happy.

"Why… how are you _taller_?" he demanded. Lance burst into laughter, crossing over to Keith so he could compare their heights. He smirked.

"Jealous?"

Keith glared up at him.

"Aw," Lance said. "You're so short."

"Hunk," came Pidge's voice. She was glaring daggers at Hunk. "I swear if you say a _word_ …"

Hunk gulped audibly. "Not saying anything."

Pidge smiled sweetly, her angry expression gone. "Good."

"Lance and I are capable of boarding the ship and getting what we need. The rest of you should stay here."

"No."

"Shiro—"

"You'll need me, won't you?" Shiro activated his arm, his face lit up by its purple glow. "My arm is Galra tech."

Pidge adjusted her glasses again. "Shiro's right. We don't know for sure that your shapeshifting will let us download information, but Shiro's arm was _made_ by the Galra Empire. It should be registered in the database, and because the stuff we need is important, random Galra probably can't access it."

"Of course," Hunk added, "there's a chance that Shiro's arm won't completely work, but hopefully, it should. If it was made by the Druids…"

Shiro didn't react, but Lance thought he caught his human hand clenching at his side.

"Right," Lance said before anyone else could jump in. "A trio. That's good."

Hunk sucked in a breath. "I don't know. I hate it when we have to split up…"

Lance grinned. "It'll be _fine_ , Hunk." He winked. "There's Shiro, who could probably take down a whole platoon of soldiers, Allura, who… well, she's _Allura_. And of course, they have me, only the best and most handsome pilot in the universe."

"Objection."

"In your _dreams_."

"What—hey!" Lance huffed. "It's obviously me."

"I dunno," Pidge said. "A lot of people crushed _hard_ on the mysterious Keith Kogane—"

Keith's brow furrowed. "They… did?"

"Knew it," Shiro muttered under his breath.

"No way, shorties."

Pidge shot up, bayard in hand like she was ready to fight his knees. "You did _not_ —"

"Guys! We have a mission."

"And a time limit."

Pidge grumbled as she sank back down to the ground. "Fine, fine. Hurry it up."

"How are you supposed to get Shiro in, though? He's definitely not Galra. And Lance's armor is too recognizable."

It wasn't like Lance could take the sentries' armor, but his was most definitely not Galran. He stripped off his armor anyway, leaving only the black flight suit. It wasn't the best, but it was better than what he had.

Allura gazed at them.

"I don't like this," Lance said, peering into the pilfered box. "It's a bit… small."

"It's the only way."

"Do you see how tall I am?"

"Just… get in the box, Lance."

He grumbled as he climbed in, pulling his knees close to his chest. His head was propped against the side awkwardly. Shiro climbed in next to him, looking far more comfortable.

"Wait, can't I just be human?"

"We don't have time for you to shift again once we're on the ship. It's better for you to at least look Galra just in case we're caught."

Lance groaned, and Shiro shushed him.

Allura procured a few blankets and tossed it over them. Lance heard the box shut, and then they were moving.

It was stifling inside. Lance hated every second, but he kept silent as they drew closer to the ship.

"Halt."

Lance hissed. If they couldn't even make it onto the ship, they were screwed.

"Move along."

Lance sighed in relief. Next to him, Shiro did the same.

The box tilted, and Lance braced his feet against the side, trying not to move.

"Get ready," Shiro said lowly. Lance nodded.

"Yeah."

Allura slowed, and Lance felt the box come to a stop. A sudden rush of air came in as she pulled the top off, and Shiro and Lance leapt out, the blankets falling at their feet.

"There's no time to lose," Allura said urgently. "Come on. This way."

The three of them started down the hall, and Lance ran a hand along the wall.

"We've been here before," he said. " _I've_ been here before."

"This ship…" Shiro said. "Wait, isn't this…?"

Lance started to shake his head. "We—didn't you destroy it?"

"What are you two on about?"

"It's the same ship I snuck on before," Lance said quietly, remembering the glowing canisters he'd seen and the Druid he'd faced. "Remember?"

"Hide," Allura hissed, and they flattened along the wall as a patrol stormed past. "Then do you remember where the control room is?"

Lance hesitated. "I… think so."

"Good," Allura said. "And if you're right, then whatever they were carrying must be important."

"Yeah…"

It didn't make him feel better. In fact, it made Lance feel worse.

They snuck down another hall, and Lance shuddered, remembering being trapped on the ship. It wouldn't happen again—he wouldn't let it.

Shiro kept them in line, his eyes hazy with memories. He'd memorized the pattern of the sentries, and Lance had never been more grateful to have Shiro there as they made their way across the ship. With their combined knowledge, they made it to the control room without being caught.

"This is it," Allura whispered, and Lance nodded back, determination welling up in him.

They were in.


	28. Chapter 28

**familiar** _  
chapter twenty-eight_

* * *

Shiro made quick work of the few soldiers in the control room.

"We only have a few minutes before the next patrol comes by. Watch the door."

Lance and Allura exchanged a look.

"Got it," Allura said, stepping outside. He stayed behind her before realizing there was also a spare set of armor. He threw it on and joined Allura, acting as guards.

"Okay, Pidge," he heard Shiro say. "I'm in. You can start the download."

"Good," Shiro said a minute later, responding to whatever Pidge had said. "Wait, Pidge—I think there's a problem. Pidge?"

There was the sound of footsteps from down the corridor. Lance hissed under his breath and stuck his head back into the control room.

"Uh, Shiro? Can you hurry it up?" he asked. "I mean, no rush, but we've got company."

"I'll distract him," Allura whispered. She jerked her head in Shiro's direction. "Go help him if you can."

Lance glanced down the hall. "You sure?"

"Go."

"What's going on?" Lance growled, his voice low as he stopped to stand next to Shiro. "We have to get out of here, Shiro. Allura can only buy so much time."

Shiro looked uneasy, shifting from side to side.

"Pidge?"

" _Almost there. Just one more second, Shiro._ "

Lance gave the screen a dark look. "I don't know if we have another second."

"Where's Chief Commander Plytox?"

The demand floated through the room, the words barbed. Lance winced. Chief Commander Plytox was, in fact, on the ground out cold.

"Uh," Allura said, sounding nervous. "In there. Um, say hello, Plyrox."

Lance put a hand on Shiro's shoulder, signaling that he had it. He lowered his voice.

"It's _Plytox_!"

"Uh, sorry!" Allura called. "See?"

"Vrepit sa, sir!" The soldier quieted. "I get his name wrong all the time, too."

"We're safe," Lance murmured, keeping his voice low so the Galra wouldn't overhear them. "Not for long, though."

He looked back over his shoulder at Allura, who was draped against the doorframe as she distracted the Galra soldier who'd come. He couldn't hear much of what they were talking about, but he caught a few snatches of conversation, including "bloodthirstiness on a scale of one to ten" and figured Allura had it covered.

"Come on," Shiro muttered, voice strained.

An alarm blared, the screen suddenly turning a deep red.

" _Befir_ ," Lance yelled, snagging Plytox's blaster from the ground and aiming at the door.

 _"_ _Fugitive prisoner 117-9875 detected. Remain where you are. Security alerted._ "

"Intruders!"

"Oh, no, you don't!" Allura yelled before either Lance or Shiro could move. She ran forward and rammed the soldier she'd been distracting into a column, effectively knocking him out.

"I was gonna shoot him," Lance said, looking at the gun in his hand, "but that works, too."

"I think we're in trouble," Shiro said. Alarms continued to blare, followed by the telltale sounds of an incoming squad.

"You _think_ ," Lance muttered as they burst forward down the hall.

"Let's get out of here!" Shiro cried. "Pidge, are you there?"

Apparently, the others were busy, too—there was no Green Lion to crash through the side of the ship again.

"Left," Allura yelled, and the three of them veered left, only to find themselves face-to-face with a patrol. Lance fired off a few rounds, taking out two sentries as Shiro rushed forward and took care of the others.

"Allura," Shiro called, taking a gun and tossing it in her direction.

"Other way," Lance said, a hysterical laugh bubbling in his throat as Allura held her newly-acquired weapon backwards. "Don't want to shoot that pretty face."

"Never held a gun before?" Shiro asked as they ducked into another hallway. "You fly a spaceship, and you can't hold a gun correctly?"

"Shut up, both of you," Allura huffed. They ran into another group, and the three of them worked together to take the sentries down. "I'm tense, alright?"

"The escape pods," Shiro panted, and they took another turn to avoid sentries.

"That's on the other," Lance said between breaths. "On the… other side of the ship, Shiro."

"It's our only way out," Shiro said. "The others aren't responding."

"Wonder if they fixed that hole from last time," Lance murmured, but he didn't argue as they changed courses.

"Pidge, are you there?" Shiro called. "Keith! Hunk! We need backup, and we need to get out of here _now_!"

Distantly, Lance remembered the Druid he'd fought and the rows and rows of tall, glowing canisters. He wondered what importance they carried, what information they'd managed to glean from this mission that he hadn't on the last.

"There!" Shiro shouted. "The escape pods!"

"Get down!" Allura roared.

Lance dropped to the ground without thinking. Laserfire peppered over their heads, and then he threw himself forward in the direction of the escape pods.

Lance backed up a few steps, firing back at the sentries. It wasn't any use—for every sentry he took down, another took its place. Allura was shooting, too, and though her aim wasn't as accurate as Lance's, she managed to take down a few.

"We'll never make it out," Lance whispered, face draining of color. "If we stop fighting, we'll be overrun."

"The pods!" Allura cried. "They're closing!"

Lance took another few steps back, but the fire they were under was too heavy. He stumbled as he was clipped in the shoulder, pain and warmth blooming where he'd been grazed.

"Allura," he said, voice thick. "I'll hold them off—"

"Absolutely not," Allura said. She glanced at Shiro. "You need to go."

"I'm not leaving you."

"You must! Both of you."

"Allura," Lance said again, pleading this time. "Allura, you can't… Zarkon—"

"Voltron needs you!"

"We need you more."

Another round of fire separated them; Lance dove to the left as Allura dragged Shiro to the right. Lance met Allura's gaze across the din, and her eyes flickered to Shiro before she turned back to him and nodded.

Then she gripped the back of Shiro's armor and tossed him into the closing escape pod. It shut behind him, and Lance caught him pounding on the glass

" _Formulating navigation. All crew assume secure hyper-speed positions._ "

Allura shot him an alarmed look. "If the ship assumes hyper-speed, we won't be able to leave."

"The escape pods are gone," Lance said, "so it's not like we have much of a chance, anyway."

Allura pressed her back to his, and they kept the sentries at bay.

"Do you think we can ram through them?" Lance asked. His shoulder burned with pain, but he put it out of his mind and focused on shooting.

"After me," Allura said, a strand of hair falling in her face. Lance kept shooting, but he split his attention so he could follow Allura.

She charged forward, knocking a row of sentries down like they were nothing but bowling pins. Lance followed her, firing off a few rounds before they darted down the hall and away from the escape pods.

"This way," Allura called, and Lance ran after her. They were heading toward the exit that would lead out to the Galran base, where the others were hopefully waiting for them. Lance hoped nothing bad had happened to the team.

At least Shiro was safe—Shiro, the head of Voltron, able to lead the team to success.

Allura wrapped a hand around his wrist, and Lance twisted his hand so he could catch her fingers.

"Princess," he gasped as they turned. "If we're caught…"

"We won't be," Allura said, a determined glint in her eyes. "I won't let Zarkon touch you."

"If we're caught," Lance said again, voice low and soft, "I'm glad to have you by my side."

Allura ran her thumb over his wrist, brushing over his heartbeat.

"I won't let them touch you," she repeated. "Never again."

His eyes burned, and Lance awkwardly lifted his other hand to wipe at the tears that were blurring his vision.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Allura turned to face head. "Almost there."

Lance spotted light. There wasn't a ton, but the change from purple to a cooler blue was a sign that they were close to escaping. Once they were off the ship, they'd be able to regroup without the danger of being dragged and thrown at Zarkon's feet.

"Shut the doors!" a soldier yelled.

"No!" Lance cried.

"We're so close," Allura said.

"Capture them!"

"Do _not_ let those two escape!"

"Come _on_!"

Lance gripped Allura's hand tighter, not daring to let go. They tore through the still-closing doors.

Allura's hand went taut, her fingers slipping.

"No," Lance growled, swinging around, but his arm was shaking as he raised his gun. They were too close for him to get a good shot; Allura's blaster was knocked from her hand.

"Lance!"

There was a soldier grabbing Allura's shoulders and another at her arm—

" _No_!"

Someone tore his gun from his grip and grabbed him, too, holding him back. He fought, struggling in a soldier's hold and reaching for Allura.

"Lance!"

"Allura!"

"I'll come for you," he yelled, managing to break free. "Allura!"

Allura was dragged backwards, and she stilled as she was surrounded. Lance caught a last glimpse of her face, still purple from her shift and darkened in shadow.

A blinding pain exploded across the left side of his head. Lance staggered forward, twisting in time to avoid the soldier's next blow. The world spun, but he managed to take the blaster back and fire.

There was no time to dwell on what he'd done as the soldier fell backwards, armor clattering. Lance turned back and found the ship gone, nothing more than a speck in the distance.

"Allura," he croaked, voice raw.

He had to find her, had to get her back. Allura was his princess, his teammate… and his friend.

 _The others_ , he reminded himself through a haze. _Find the others._

He needed his team. Lance hid behind an empty box as guards opened fire, taking a moment to calm his racing heart and form a rough plan. He spotted the Green Lion in the distance, about to take off and leave him behind.

Lance took a deep breath. Let it out slowly.

He looked like a Galran soldier, another puppet of the Galra Empire. He could use it to his advantage, but his plan came with risks.

Lance stood up, straightening his shoulders. Then he strode out onto the landing bay.

"The fighter pods," he said, approaching another soldier. "Where are they? I have to follow the Green Lion."

"Leaving this station? Are you a fool?"

"They'll have my head if I let the paladins slip from my grasp," Lance said, hoping he would be believed.

"Come on," the other soldier said after a minute. "Hurry!"

After he was let into a pod, Lance turned to the Galra.

"Sorry about this," he said, voice grim.

"What—"

Lance surged forward, slamming into the Galra hard and sending him flying. Then he shut the fighter pod and shot off after the Green Lion—not to capture it, like he'd pretended, but to join them.

"C'mon, Pidge!" he shouted, though he knew she couldn't hear him.

The Green Lion banked to the left and then turned to face him, mouth opening. A glow formed in her mouth.

"Uh, it's just me," Lance yelped. "No shooting! I kind of don't want to die today, thanks."

Green's eyes gleamed.

"Pidge, please," he said, though the words were useless.

Then Green's mouth snapped shut, and she flew towards him, claws extended. Lance grunted as the fighter pod rocked back and forth in Green's grasp.

His heart was still thundering in his chest when they landed in the hangars. His pod was set down first before Green landed, but the others piled out with their bayards ready.

"Don't shoot!" he yelled, climbing out of the pod. "It's just me!"

"Galra—"

"Wait, that's Lance!"

Lance tore off his helmet and tossed it to the side. He groaned as he shifted back, bones shortening and fur prickling as it sank back into his skin as if it had never been there.

"Just me," he said, holding his hands up.

His arm flared with pain. Lance remembered the wound on his arm and found deep violet blood staining his stolen armor. The blow to his head probably wasn't helping, either, so Lance sank to the ground.

Shiro was the first to reach him. He wrapped a strong arm around Lance's back and gripped his other shoulder.

"You're hurt," he said.

Lance dimly remembered Allura and tried to climb back on his feet.

"Allura—" he gasped. "No time to worry about me…"

Coran stormed forward, his face drawn. "Allura? Where is she?"

"Coran," Shiro said pleadingly.

"'m sorry," Lance whispered, only then the realization of what had happened sinking in. "I'm sorry. I lost… I lost her."

Soon she would be in Zarkon's hands, light years away from her team.

The shrouds he'd burned his friends in flashed through his mind, each one the same color as their Lions and embroidered with symbols of fire, forest, and earth as well as countless stars.

Lance stood again, his head pounding. This time, with Shiro's help, he managed to stay upright.

"Have to find her," he said. "They're going to Zarkon."

"You lost her?" Coran demanded, blanching. When he saw that Lance was in no state to answer him, he turned to Shiro. "What happened? How could you leave her behind?"

"I had no choice," Shiro bellowed back, and his hands tightened on Lance. "She sacrificed herself and let me escape—she and Lance fought off the sentries, but I don't know what happened after that. I don't want her with Zarkon any more than you do!"

Hunk rushed forward, grabbing Lance.

"I've got him," he told Shiro. His hands were shaking, but he steered Lance out of the room.

"I'm sorry," Lance said again.

"It's not your fault," Hunk said kindly. He crouched down in front of Lance. "Can you…?"

Lance wrapped his arms around Hunk gratefully and let himself be lifted, Hunk's arms tucking under his knees. He rested his head on Hunk's shoulder and sighed into his neck.

"Don't worry, Lance," Hunk said. "We'll get her back."

"I should help," Lance said.

"You're hurt," Hunk continued softly. "We'll just put you in a pod for a little while so you don't pass out in the middle of battle, okay?"

"No longer than thirty minutes."

"An hour tops," Hunk said. "We'll get our plans together like we always do. You can trust us. Allura will be back in no time."

They reached the med bay, and Hunk wasted no time in getting Lance into one of the pods.

"Don't worry," Hunk said. "We're a team. You can count on us."

His short time in the pod was filled with restless dreams, pieces of nightmares that Lance ran away from. When he stumbled from the pod and into Hunk's waiting arms, he was gasping for air.

"You okay?"

"Fine," Lance said, straightening. He felt tired, but the pain in his head was gone. The wound in his arm had closed, too, which meant he was ready to go.

"She's on the ship heading for Zarkon's Central Command?" Hunk asked, and Lance nodded. They made their way back to the bridge.

"It's too dangerous for us to attack," Keith was yelling as they entered. "It's like delivering Voltron to Zarkon's doorstep!"

"It doesn't matter," Shiro said. "We need Allura back."

"Lance!" Pidge cried, spotting him. "You're alive, great."

Lance smiled wanly at her, the others turning at her words. He waved awkwardly but looked away quickly, not meeting Coran's eyes.

"Pidge, that scan done yet?"

"I've got it," Pidge said, spinning around and typing at her keyboard. "I've been cross-referencing and using the data from the ship. Should have coordinates and a visual soon."

"Good."

Lance found his voice. "Did you guys come up with a plan yet?"

"Working on it," Shiro explained. "We had a few—disagreements, but once we get the location, we'll be able to finish our plans."

"Disagreements…" Hunk murmured next to him. "I don't like it when we fight. Each other, I mean."

Lance squeezed Hunk's shoulder. "Me neither, buddy."

"Guys," Pidge called. A visual appeared on the screen. "Look at _this_."

Lance sucked in a sharp breath and heard the others do the same. Zarkon's Central Command was _humongous_. He pictured Zarkon in it, seated upon a throne made of the bones of those he'd killed, and Lance shuddered.

"The size of it…"

"We should just go in," Pidge said, turning her head so she could see their faces. "We've lost enough time already. The more time we wait, the more time Zarkon has to prepare for us."

"Uh, we could barely defeat the Robeast on the Balmera," Hunk reasoned. "And there was only one fleet. This… this could hold _thousands_."

"If we form Voltron—"

"Voltron doesn't stand a chance! I vote that we don't go on the mission at all. The stakes are too high."

"I'm not leaving the Princess with _him_!"

"Keith, are you serious? What if it was one of us? What if it was _me_? You wouldn't leave me, would you?" Hunk hesitated when Keith said nothing. "…Would you?"

Keith crossed his arms. "I don't like the idea, okay? But I'm thinking like a paladin."

"And a part of being a paladin is _not leaving anyone behind_. That's leaving Allura behind!"

"Guys, calm down."

"We need to focus."

Shiro's voice rang out, smothering the arguing. Lance sank back into himself, sending Keith a glare. He understood why Keith had said what he did, but there was no way they were letting Zarkon have Allura.

"We are not leaving anyone behind," Shiro said. "Everyone to your stations. If we're going to get Allura back—and we will—then we'll need a plan."

Lance slipped into his seat, gritting his teeth. He pictured Allura's face as the door closed and curled his hands into fists.

"I'm coming for you," he said softly, staring at Zarkon's base on his screen. "I'm coming."


	29. Chapter 29

**familiar**  
 _chapter twenty-nine_

* * *

Lance drummed his fingers, grumbling under his breath in frustration. If he could, he would've been pacing back and forth or rocking on his heels, but that wasn't an option.

"There's no way in," he groaned.

Pidge flapped a hand in his direction. "Not with that attitude."

Lance glared across the room. "Do _you_ have a plan?"

Pidge only sighed in response, which meant _no_.

"We can't be discouraged," Coran said, clasping his hands together. "Every place has its weakness."

"Yeah, maybe. But this guy is _really_ on top of security."

"If only there was a way in," Shiro said, "a way to stay unseen."

"It's not like we can put cloaking on all our Lions," Keith piped up. "I mean, that would take way too long. And it wouldn't last, either. They'll see us coming, and we'll be tracked from every direction."

Hunk groaned. "You could've just said _it's dangerous_ and left it at that. Don't need to be reminded of our odds, Keith."

"I'm being realistic," Keith shot back, crossing his arms.

"Nothing like a good old in-team fight to prepare us for battle," Pidge grumbled, and Lance privately agreed. They were getting nowhere.

"With so many ships—and bases, probably—we won't be able to make it there without _someone_ alerting Zarkon, right?"

Coran shook his head. "Unfortunately."

"Ugh," Lance muttered. "This sucks."

"Seconded."

"Third-ed."

"Is fourthed a thing? It's a thing now."

"Wait a tick," Coran said, eyes lighting up. "Lance, could I have a word?"

"Uh-oh," Lance said under his breath, but he nodded. "Sure."

They didn't go very far, drifting to the corner so they were just out of hearing distance from the others.

"Am I in trouble?"

Coran gave him a funny look, as if the thought shouldn't have crossed his mind.

"Of course not. But you… you were quite young when you became a paladin, yes? Probably about number five's age?"

Lance frowned. "I don't know what you're getting at, but yeah."

"But you were a student here before then."

Lance ran his tongue over his teeth, thinking.

"And?"

Coran clasped his hands together. "You studied with the Druids, didn't you?"

Lance hesitated.

"I… when I was young—before I traveled with my mother to Altea—a Druid came to stay with us for a short while. And she saw something in me and asked to bring me to Altea, to study."

"You can manipulate quintessence."

Lance tapped his fingers together. "Not really," he admitted. "I went to Altea, but I couldn't stay, so my learning was… uh, non-linear. And after I became a paladin, I gave up my studies as a Druid."

Coran hummed.

"I don't think that'll be a problem."

"For what?"

Coran walked back towards the group, and Lance followed quizzically.

He gestured to the map, using his finger to point out the heart of Zarkon's base.

"If we can open a wormhole," Coran said, "then we won't have any problems at all."

"Coran…"

"Have you two come up with something?" Shiro asked, interrupting. Lance sent Coran a pleading look.

"I believe so," Coran said. "If you'll look, there is a way to get there without being detected—if we jump straight to Zarkon's base, they won't track us."

"Everyone, eyes front," Shiro called. "We have a plan. Coran's just told me we can jump here unseen and undetected."

Coran settled a hand on Lance's shoulder.

"But that doesn't make sense," Pidge said. "We need Allura to open a wormhole, don't we?"

Lance shrank back.

"Not so," Coran responded. "That's where Lance comes in."

"Lance?"

"Coran," Lance murmured, but the hand on his shoulder tightened. "I'm not sure…"

Coran turned slightly so they could face each other. "You can do it, Lance. Your ability to channel quintessence will work for this, I'm sure."

"I don't know if I can do it."

"Wait, so you're saying _Lance_ will open the wormhole? Er, no offense."

"None taken."

Shiro frowned, glancing between Coran and Lance. "Are you sure…? If Lance doesn't want to—"

"Of course I want to!" Lance snapped. "I… sorry. But we have to save Allura. I just don't know if I can do it. And what if the Castle doesn't respond to me?"

"In theory, it should be able to work," Coran said. "I can update the systems to allow you permission to activate a wormhole. Your job is to power it, and the Castle should do the rest."

"Please," Coran added softly.

Lance met Coran's eyes. "I can try."

He drummed his fingers nervously on the controls. It didn't feel right, standing where Allura should be.

"You ready?" Shiro asked.

He and Coran were standing together from where they'd been updating the Castle systems—since Lance wasn't a royal, he wouldn't have been allowed to make a wormhole.

"You have the location?"

"Locked," Coran answered. "It's not too far, since the first jump is a test."

"Okay. Initiating test jump."

Lance focused on the feeling of ice in his veins, the thread of power he knew rested there. Cold swept through his body, pins and needles down his arms and into his hands. The crystals fitted in the controls began to glow.

"It's working," someone breathed.

Lance concentrated harder, and the light flared brighter. He thought his hands might be pulsing with energy, the world spiraling in and out of focus.

The jump was over before he realized. Lance stumbled back a few steps when there was no longer energy pouring between him in the Castle.

Keith pressed a gloved hand to his back.

"Okay?"

"Yeah," Lance panted. "Just takes some getting used to, I think. The Castle is… huge."

"You did well, Lance."

He straightened. "Uh, thanks."

Shiro was eyeing him worriedly. "Can you handle another jump, Lance? You look tired."

"We can't have a paladin down during battle," Hunk added.

Lance waved them away.

"I think I can manage," he said.

"Wait a minute," Keith said. "You opened a wormhole before, didn't you? That was how we got to Arus."

"Yeah!"

"Blue helped," Lance replied. "It was a team effort."

"Oh, dude, can we open wormholes, too?"

Coran approached him. "I think you should rest for a moment. Not too long, but just enough to regain all that energy. And we need to finish our plan."

Shiro was nodding. "Coran, you and I will work on logistics—what happens after the jump. The rest of you, prepare yourselves. And keep your comms on."

Lance nodded. He'd left his helmet in his seat, but he grabbed it and popped it over his head to be sure.

He probably had enough time to talk to Blue, but as he jogged down the hall, he found himself going in the opposite direction of the hangar. Lance passed the dining hall and training deck before he slowed, pushing the door to Am'lei's old room open.

There was no time to spare. Lance knelt at the small desk, tugging open the drawer where he'd put his necklace.

The shell was right where he'd left it; now, Lance looped the chain over his head and tucked the shell under his armor, where it rested on his heart.

"For you," he murmured, thinking of his family.

His next stop was to Allura's chambers.

She'd taken one of the rooms meant for royal guests, where extended family or ambassadors like his mother would have slept, instead of her former rooms in the Castle. Lance wasn't sure why—he hadn't asked—but they were closer to the paladins' rooms. He wondered if she'd ever felt as alone as he had.

The mice had followed him on his journey, and now they gathered at his feet. He scooped them up.

"I know I shouldn't be here," he said, pushing the doors in, "but it's not for long. I'm just looking for something—can you help?"

Plachu squeaked in answer, and they scampered down his arm and onto a small side table.

Lance allowed himself a glance around the room, taking in the simple furnishings. She didn't have much more than the rest of them, though the walls glowed in a way that his didn't.

He didn't dare touch anything, instead playing with his hands and rocking back and forth on his heels.

A small paw tugged on his finger, and Lance turned his attention back to the mice. Platt was carrying what he'd been looking for.

It was a small ribbon Lance hadn't ever seen Allura wear before. He guessed it was a decorative thing to braid into her hair, probably less than a foot in length and a dusty pink that was just the right color.

"Thanks," he said, casting a glance around the room, then whispering, "Sorry for breaking in, Allura."

Though she wasn't around to hear it—the thought made his lips turn down—it felt good to say. Friends or not, Lance wasn't sure he was allowed in her room, not like how he could simply barrel into Hunk's.

The mice hitched a ride as Lance left, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"How's it going?" he asked, turning his volume up. The comms crackled, but Shiro's voice became clear.

" _Almost ready,_ " he replied. " _Coran wants to check the Castle defenses a last time before we go in, just in case. We need to be prepared for every scenario._ "

"Right," Lance said.

" _And the Lions?_ " came Hunk's voice.

" _We'll be flying out_ ," Shiro said. Lance headed to the hangar as Shiro outlined the plan for their mission: they'd wormhole right to Zarkon's base and hide the Castle behind a gas planet, the thick gas hiding any view or signal. They'd be able to scan for Allura's signature and get a lock on her location.

The next part was where Lance got skeptical. They'd planned to get in and out as quickly as possible, retrieving Allura with the help of Voltron and then leaving the system. With her safe, they'd be able to wormhole their way out.

It sounded a bit too good to be true, Lance thought. The size of Zarkon's fleet combined with his military prowess, Haggar's presence, and Zarkon himself meant they'd have a fight in their hands.

And once Voltron was within Zarkon's grasp, he wouldn't be willing to let it go. Lance had admired his will and determination once, but now it was another obstacle in the way of their success.

Blue purred when he saw her, pressing a hand to her jaw.

"This is it," he told her. She made a sound in agreement.

"I'm glad," Lance said, "to have you. No matter… no matter what happens when we go out there."

Blue rumbled.

 _My paladin,_ she said. _It is time._

Lance peered up at his Lion, remembering the words. She'd said it that first night when it had all begun, waking him up the same way she had just over a year ago.

He rested a hand over where his necklace was hidden under his armor.

 _Heart_ , Blue said.

"Will you stand with me?"

She purred into his mind. _Always_.

Lance ran his fingers over cool metal and then stepped back, nodding.

He was about to leave when Blue moved. Something passed through their bond, less of a thought and more like a rolling wave of emotion.

Lance tugged his helmet off, holding it in his hands. He could see his reflection in the glass visor—the features he'd given himself, the person he'd become. Human.

 _We can't keep running_ , Keith had told him.

 _I'm not,_ Lance had said back, though he hadn't quite stopped yet.

 _There is little to fear, heart,_ Blue said. _You have only ever been yourself._

His necklace was ice-cold against his skin. What would Mama think of her son now? Lance thought he could see a piece of her in his face, just barely there and staring back at him.

Blue began to purr again. Lance let himself sink into her waves before he closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, Lance saw his face again, the one he remembered. The most notable change were the blue crescents hanging under his eyes like war paint. The marking on the left was strangely flat, but Lance didn't dwell on the sight for too long.

He turned his head sideways, examining the point his ear tapered to and then lifting his chin so he could see the shadowed slits just below his jaw.

Blue sent him a tidal wave of pride and joy, and Lance wrapped them around himself like a cape. He let himself linger on his appearance for just another moment.

Then Lance ran his fingers over Blue's snout.

 _I will help you_ , she promised.

"I'll see you on the other side," he murmured, turning and heading towards the main deck. He popped his helmet back on.

"You guys ready over there?"

" _Yeah,_ " Shiro said. " _Everyone, head to your Lions. We'll take flight when we get there, and Lance will join us._ "

" _Sounds like a plan._ "

"Got it," Lance said.

" _Are you good to go, Lance?_ "

"Yeah," he said, thinking of Blue.

" _Let's do this._ "

Lance paused outside the main deck, pulling out the ribbon the mice had gotten for him. He rubbed it between his fingers and murmured a quick prayer—to the stars, to the gods, to anyone who was out there and who would listen—before he looped it around his right wrist and tied it.

"Hey, Coran," Lance said, taking his place at the controls. His voice had come out all wrong, not casual like he'd intended but shaky and… well, scared. Though he tried to stifle his emotions, the nerves crept up his spine like cold air.

Lance ran his fingers over his bayard and tried to ground himself. He wondered if its shape would change if he tried to use it.

Coran saw right through him.

"It'll be alright," Coran said. "I have faith in you and in Allura."

Lance smiled wanly. "Don't forget yourself."

But Coran wasn't listening. He cocked his head, a strange expression crossing his face. He moved closer to Lance, peering up at him from the bottom of the steps.

Lance remembered suddenly what Coran must have been seeing, even with the helmet on. He closed the distance between them, and the two of them considered each other.

"We only have each other left," Lance said softly.

He thought he caught tears in Coran's eyes.

"Oh, my boy," Coran said, surging forward and putting his arms around Lance. They stood there, the last of the Alteans, the remains and ruins of what had once been so full of light.

A grief that spanned millennia wrapped its fingers around their throats; Lance found it hard to breathe and choked as darkness swept over him.

Coran pulled back, clasping his forearm.

"They are all watching over us," he said, and Lance turned his gaze to the stars. They'd always believed that was where the dead went, back to the very stars they'd been born from.

"We'll join them one day," Lance murmured.

Coran rested his thumb over Lance's wrist, and he wondered if he could feel his heartbeat there.

"Not today."

They stood in a grim, determined silence. Coran glanced down at their hands and blinked at the ribbon around Lance's wrist.

Lance held it up.

"For the fallen," he said, "and for Allura."

Coran lifted his hand to his heart and nodded once.

"We can't waste any more time," Coran said, voice rough, and he stepped away.

"You're right," Lance replied, taking his place. "Hey, uh… are you all in your hangars?"

" _Yes._ "

 _Blue?_

He didn't need to say another word. His Lion's presence curled around him, and she pressed at the barrier between their minds. Lance glanced at Coran before he let the barrier fall, accepting Blue's help.

They were old— _ancient_ —and immense, vast as space itself. They had been crafted from a piece of the heavens, and at their center was pure quintessence, rising and falling like the intake of air or the ocean's waves.

The quintessence ached to leave, so they let it burst free, pouring into the Castle's systems.

A distant triumph sang in their minds when the sky opened before them, the wormhole electric blue and rippling.

"Steady," Coran said. "That's right."

Then they were through, and Lance stumbled back into his own body. It felt like waking up, awareness returning to his mind slowly as the sound of his own breathing filled his ears.

" _Well done, Lance._ "

" _Nice!_ "

" _We're flying out. Lance, get to Blue—while he does that, Coran, scan for Allura and see if you can get a lock on her location._ "

"Right on," Coran said.

Lance sprinted to the hangar, barreling into the cockpit and then leaning forward. The dashboard lit up around him, and Lance gunned Blue up and out of the hangar to join the others.

" _Good to see you, Lance,_ " Pidge said, appearing in the corner of the screen.

"Thanks," he said.

" _We are the defenders of the universe,_ " Shiro reminded them, " _and we will not fail. Team, form Voltron!_ "

This time was the easiest it had ever been.

Blue slid into place, and Lance reached for the others, their minds clicking together like puzzle pieces. No, closer than that, like the threads of a tapestry weaving together, the different colors twining together in harmony.

He found the steady and strong thread that was Hunk's, then Pidge's, quick and sharp. After her was Keith, a spark of flame, and Shiro, encompassing and sure.

This band of misfits that he'd found himself in, these _strangers_ —they had all become so familiar.

"Thank you," Lance whispered.

" _I've got your location,_ " Coran reported. " _Go as planned._ "

" _Remember the plan._ "

They flew forwards, and Lance kept his eye out as they passed ship after ship after ship. He'd never seen so many before, and it made the back of his neck tingle.

Pidge yelped in alarm. Voltron didn't falter, but uneasiness rippled through all of them.

"What is _that_?"

In the distance, Lance saw the air shift, like the very fabric of the universe was closing around them. It was hard to discern, but Lance knew they'd flown into a trap.

It didn't matter. They were in. They'd complete their mission, and then they'd figure out a way to leave.

" _Oh_ , _shit,_ " someone said.

" _They're going to fire! Watch out!_ "

The fleet of fighter pods sent streaming arcs of laserfire at them, and Shiro yelled as they wove in between the fighter pods. He directed them to one of the main ships.

" _Keith, Pidge,_ " Shiro ordered. _"Form sword._ "

Lance thought he heard the echo of a growl, the sound of fire crackling in his ears.

The two arms blazed with light, Voltron's sword sparking as it was unsheathed and thrust into the ship before them. They flew along the side, fire burning where they cut, and Lance let a smile form on his lips when it exploded.

Voltron quickly tore through another, ramming into it with their force. The ships groaned, metal screeching as they were slammed into each other, the music of war.

The fight wasn't over.

Lance cried out as a beam passed by them, close enough that he and Blue might've been hit.

"We've got trouble!"

" _Dive!_ "

They plummeted, and two ships that had been gunning for them crashed into each other. The explosion rang in Lance's ears, but they were already moving out of the way of another blast.

" _Form shoulder cannon!_ "

Hunk grunted. There was a clicking sound as his bayard fit into its slot, and though Lance couldn't see it, he knew the shoulder cannon was forming.

" _Come on…_ "

Ribbons of light burst forth, separating and taking out a row of ships with just one blow.

Pidge's mind sparked against theirs.

" _Good eye, Pidge,_ " Shiro said as they flitted through a narrow gap between a few ships and twisted to avoid being hit. Hunk's cannon dissolved, and Keith's sword took its place, gleaming as they approached.

Before them, Zarkon's ship loomed threateningly, the symbol of his empire.

" _There it is_ ," Shiro said, voice hushed. " _Zarkon's ship._ "

Lance ran his tongue over his teeth and hissed under his breath.

" _Let's take it out,_ " Keith snarled. " _Right here, right now. We can_ —"

There was a jolt, and then Lance's mind filled with static. Their connection— _Voltron—_ flickered, and Lance cried out.

Through the comms, he heard the others react, but it was Shiro's pained yell that made Lance throw himself forward, willing both him and Blue to _move_.

" _What—going on?_ "

Static, both inside his mind and through the comms. There was a distant, terrible sound, and Lance realized it was Blue herself, keening.

"Blue!" he yelled. "Blue!"

But she remained still, not responding to his pleas or his frantic scrabbling at the controls.

" _—_ _happening?_ "

" _No!_ "

" _Someone answer—_ "

" _Shiro, please!_ " That was Keith's voice, dripping with panic like it was poison and clear as day to Lance's ears. " _Shiro, we can't hold this any longer._ "

Frustrated, angry tears welled in Lance's eyes.

" _Liyet_ ," he whispered to Blue. " _Liyet…_ "

 _Please._

There was a grating sound, like metal scraping together but higher in pitch. Lance's connection to Blue seemed to falter, her mind growing more distant, and he chased after the bond, refusing to let her go.

He was shaking as he reached for the controls, throat dry.

And then pain splintered through the bond—in between him and Blue and the others, a feeling like lightning encompassing his mind. Lance screamed, but then the agony seemed to melt away, the worst of it over.

When the white that had taken over his vision faded, Lance saw the other Lions floating aimlessly around him, their large forms strangely limp.

"What... what just happened?"

It was a relief to hear Hunk's voice. Lance almost cried, but he swallowed.

"Something tore us apart," Pidge said, her voice low. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her displayed on Blue's screen, her teeth gritted in either anger or pain.

"Shiro!"

"We need to move," Lance said. "Blue, come on, baby."

Blue's mind sparked like he was striking it with flint, and Lance pushed at their bond again.

"Come on!" he yelled, and Blue snapped up at his cry, her presence filling the air around him. She twisted, her tail flicking as she growled deep in her throat, the sound echoing in Lance's ears.

Then she roared, tearing forwards in anger. Lance gripped the controls as they raced for a nearby ship and then pulled them parallel so she could sink her claws through metal.

" _They knew we were coming!_ "

More ships followed the first, appearing from the large ring that circled around Zarkon's base.

" _Let's go!_ "

He saw Green's laser beam cut through a ship as fighter pods chased after her. Yellow tore into another.

The temperature in the cockpit dropped, and Lance hissed as he and Blue froze over a series of pods. Red took care of two with a blast, and Yellow rammed into the third.

" _There's no end to these guys! We can't take them out alone._ "

" _It's a good thing you're not, then._ "

Lance barked out a relieved laugh Coran came to the rescue, the Castle's lasers taking care of the fleet that had amassed before them.

" _Coran!_ "

" _Thank God you're here."_

" _Take that,_ " Coran yelled, voice triumphant. Underneath his tone lurked grief and a deep-set anger that reminded Lance of the moment they'd shared before the battle. " _I've waited ten thousand years for this._ "

Explosions rang out around them.

With the fleet being taken care of, the team was free to race back towards where they'd left Shiro. He hadn't joined their fight, and when they flew back, Lance saw why.

The Black Lion was caught mid-air, glowing a strange purple. He didn't seem to be moving.

Over the comms, Shiro groaned.

" _Shiro! You okay?_ "

A painful silence hung in the air, and then: " _I don't know. Something's wrong—my Lion isn't responding to me._ "

 _Brother,_ Blue cried, but Black did not answer her, either.

And then Shiro was screaming in pain, the sound harsh over the comms. Horror filled Lance's stomach, and he pushed forward before finding himself caught in the path of incoming fighter pods.

Blue grabbed the wing of one in her mouth, tossing it towards the other. They exploded in orange fire, and Lance and Blue drew closer still to Zarkon's ship.

 _It is him_ , Blue growled. _The traitor._

Lance shivered.

" _Shiro's in trouble,_ " Keith yelled. " _I'm going in._ "

"Keith," he cried, though he knew there was nothing he could do to stop him. He and Am'lei were similar in that.

A few things happened at once.

Red flew forwards, careening towards Black. Black's eyes flickered before the bright yellow light dulled, and her jaw opened. A small, distant shape flew out—Shiro cried out as he was ejected.

" _Uh, what do we do now? Our plan is really going as, well, as planned!_ "

Lance tracked Shiro as he landed on Zarkon's ship.

" _You guys get the princess,_ " Shiro ordered. He sounded fine, like whatever pain he'd had subsided. " _I'll get the Black Lion._ "

" _I've gotten Allura's exact location,"_ Coran reported. " _I've already sent it to all of you. But um, if you could all hurry up, that'd be great. I'll just be here. Alone. Holding off an entire fleet. Oh, goodness._ "

" _My jetpack's damaged. I'm going through the ship._ "

" _Shiro, please be careful._ "

Shiro huffed out a laugh in answer but said nothing else, disappearing after he'd cut a hole through the ship.

After he was gone, Keith said, " _You guys go get the princess without me._ "

"Keith, what are you _doing?_ "

" _Don't be stupid, Keith. You can't just leave us—we gotta stick together!_ "

" _I'm doing whatever I can._ "

The Red Lion dove and flew out of sight, hidden by Zarkon's ship. Lance groaned. He didn't want Keith to go off by himself, but—

Lance looked at the ribbon around his wrist. He had to save Allura first; Keith could hold out until then. Though he was reckless, he was smart, too.

Red reappeared, and Lance bit on his lip as Keith sent Red hurtling into Black, knocking him out of where he'd been caught.

" _Lance, go left!_ "

He veered left, leaving the fighter pod shooting at nothing.

" _Allura's in this part of the ship!_ "

"How do we get in?"

The blinking dot was stationary, meaning Allura was probably locked up in a cell somewhere. Lance gritted his teeth.

" _Maybe I can hack in,_ " Pidge started.

Hunk made a dismissive noise. " _We don't have time._ "

" _Have a better idea, then?_ "

" _Actually, I do._ "

Hunk didn't explain. He just went for it, drifting back before he smashed into the section of Zarkon's ship where they were holding Allura.

" _Lance, ten o'clock._ "

He glanced over and found a squad of fighter pods racing towards them.

"Should've seen that coming," Lance grumbled as he and Blue readied themselves. "It's kind of hard not to notice when a giant Lion head crashes through your wall."

" _Hunk, did you get the princess yet?_ "

" _Uh, yeah._ "

"Good!" Lance yelled, taking out another pod. "Then let's go!"

" _We can't._ " That was Allura's voice, distant through Hunk's helmet. " _We have to help Shiro._ "

Lance swore.

Coran's voice echoed through the comms right after. " _Keith, get out of there!_ "

Lance ground his teeth together and swore again. He could distantly hear the sound of Shiro's voice, lost and pained, but Keith was in danger, too.

Blue made the choice for him, joining Yellow. The wall crumbled under her weight, and she opened her mouth to let him go.

"Keith—"

 _The witch,_ Blue said. _Shiro will need your help more._

Lance took off on a run, using his tech to check where Hunk was going and following after.

In the distance, he saw two figures and yelled when he recognized them.

"Lance!" Allura cried.

He gripped her arm, peering into her face. "You're alright?"

"Fine," she said, mouth in a line. "Shiro needs our help more."

"Up ahead," Hunk said, and Lance skidded to a stop when he saw a dark mass of figures, each one cloaked. It was an illusion; in the center, he saw a flash of purple light—Shiro's arm.

"Which one's the real one?"

"Allura," Lance said, extending his hand. They linked hands, and power coursed through the both of them. The illusion vanished as they tore through it, leaving Haggar alone in front of Shiro.

Then Hunk was there, firing.

Shiro stumbled back, and Lance let go of Allura's hand and rushed to his side.

"Shiro," he said lowly.

"I'm fine," Shiro said, but he took the hand Lance offered.

When he turned, Haggar was already gone.

 _Keith,_ Lance suddenly remembered, and he left Shiro, Hunk, and Allura behind, straining himself as he ran to Blue. They launched off towards the other side of the ship.

"Coran, where's Keith?"

Coran opened the comms to Blue. His face was worried and anxious.

" _He'll need your help,_ " Coran said. " _Hurry, Lance. He cut off comms, but I think he's fighting Zarkon._ "

"Keith…," Lance muttered under his breath, Blue moving before he had to direct her. " _Dammit,_ Keith."

"Come on," he snarled, "come on, come _on_."

Zarkon was facing off the Red Lion. Even from a distance, Lance could see the sharp angles of his armor and his cruelly-cut face.

Red was crouched on the ship, but Lance could tell she'd taken a beating. Through the glass of the cockpit, he could see lights flaring—the alarms.

"Keith?"

Blue managed to patch through to Red.

"Keith, answer me," Lance said.

It took a moment, but then Lance could hear Keith's ragged breathing.

" _Lance._ "

Zarkon eyed Blue, and Lance had the chilling feeling that Zarkon was looking straight at him, though it wasn't possible.

"Blue," Lance said.

She rumbled, opening her mouth. Lance raced out, raising his shield before he let his bayard materialize in his hand. He had his defenses up just in time to catch Zarkon's blow, a chain slamming into Lance's shield.

He yelled, the force of it pushing him back.

" _Lance!_ "

There was a buzzing sound. A moment later, a beam arced towards Zarkon. Light burst around him, bright enough that Lance had to shield his eyes.

When he dropped his arm, Zarkon was still standing, having used his bayard as a shield. Lance growled and advanced.

Zarkon chuckled. "Your friend fights like a Galra soldier. But he cannot stand against me."

"I don't know," Lance said. "I think he did pretty well."

"And who are you, Blue Paladin?"

"Lance!"

He heard Keith before he saw him out of the corner of his eye. Lance snarled—he'd left Red to come join him.

Zarkon let his bayard form into a sword that Lance knew well.

"Lance," he said, tasting his name.

Lance's heart turned to ice, but his chest felt like it was on fire. He could still feel Zarkon's blade cutting into his skin, remembered how much it had hurt as Zarkon had stood over him.

" _Lance,_ " Zarkon said again, his lip curling.

And before that, the claws raking across the soft flesh of his throat—and before _that_ , Zarkon's hand outstretched, offering him a different route to take.

"Keith," Lance said, voice trembling. "Go back to Red."

"I'm not leaving you," Keith spat.

" _Keith._ "

Lance stepped forward so he could act as a shield, blocking Keith from Zarkon.

"You seem familiar." Zarkon cocked his head.

Lance released his bayard, and the weapon that formed in his hand felt different than the one he'd been carrying. Keith hissed sharply.

Zarkon gave a low, delighted laugh. "So it _is_ you."

Lance's lips thinned into a firm line. He kept himself between Keith and Zarkon.

"Keith," Lance bit out. "Go _now_."

Zarkon brought his sword forward, and Lance met his blow, metal clanging. He couldn't take his eyes off Zarkon, but he heard Keith scrambling backwards, leaving.

"Zarkon."

"So you live," Zarkon said, "just as I suspected. Haggar was certain you would not survive, but I know you."

"No," Lance said. "You don't."

Zarkon lashed out, catching Lance by surprise. He yelled as he was thrown onto his back, rolling to the side in time to miss the sword point that drove into metal.

"You are my brother," Zarkon said. "Even with your paladins, they will never know you as I do."

Lance's chest heaved. He rubbed at his burning eyes and threw himself forward, hooking his trident around Zarkon's sword and shoving him back.

" _You_ ," Lance hissed, "are not my brother. And you are not my family, and you will never have Voltron."

Tears made his vision blur, but Lance's body moved on its own, parrying Zarkon's every move.

" _Keith, Lance, do you copy?_ "

" _Shiro—"_

Lance shut his comms off, leaving him only with the sound of his own harsh breathing in his ears.

He blocked Zarkon's sword, catching it on his trident's staff. Lance dug his heels in, groaning when the sword's weight was too much for him.

"You're stronger than this," Zarkon said. "Why are you holding back?"

Lance was shaking—from pain, from grief, from exhaustion—but he tightened his grip on his trident. Faster than he could process, Zarkon shifted his bayard, chain wrapping around the prongs and pulling Lance closer.

He dropped to the ground, trident twisting free of the chain, and darted forward.

They clashed and pulled apart, circling.

Again and again, Zarkon pushing Lance to what they both knew was his limit, every muscle in his body straining to keep up.

Lance panted. There was blood trickling down the back of his knee where Zarkon had managed to cut him, and he could feel blood gathering where there was a mark on his face.

Zarkon hadn't gone unscathed, his left pauldron destroyed where Lance had torn through it with his trident and his shoulder dark with blood.

"You're still holding back," Zarkon said, voice soft. He lowered his sword, but Lance hefted his trident higher. A trick.

"Shut up," Lance said, but he found himself unable to move even as Zarkon stepped closer.

" _Why_?"

Lance shuddered. He took a step back and stumbled over his own feet.

Why?

Zarkon was stronger than him, but he'd managed to hold his own. If Lance kept fighting, he knew he wouldn't make it back.

Why?

Lance swallowed.

Maybe he hadn't let go. Maybe he still wanted the things he could never have—Zarkon, his brother, his leader. Maybe a part of him had erased the scars that stretched across his skin, had forgotten home and so latched onto the only person who was left of it.

Home was the Castle, now, the arching hallways and blue lights, its lonely rooms they were still filling with laughter. Empty ballrooms with waltzing ghosts, the last snippet of a melody bittersweet and almost gone. His friends: their love, their kindness, their strength, their light.

Maybe Lance just… didn't want to go home.

Zarkon's gaze was heavy, a burden he didn't want to carry.

Lance couldn't bring himself to move fast enough. Zarkon's sword bit into his side, and Lance sobbed as pain blossomed along his ribs. He managed to reform his shield but staggered back when the impact hit.

Lance's knee gave out then, and he fell, gasping in pain.

"Will you kill me?" he asked, pushing himself backwards.

Zarkon's sword disappeared.

"We both do not want for a war," Zarkon said instead of answering. Rage tore at Lance's insides, seeking a way out.

"You took away everything I had," Lance snarled. "When Am'lei died, so did I. When Elolith passed, when Uadsty was killed, when my sister, my _family_ —"

He couldn't continue.

"My offer still stands, even ten thousand years later," Zarkon said. "You could join me."

" _You_ ," Lance heaved, pushing himself up and gripped his trident. He lunged forward, catching Zarkon off guard. The prongs cleaved through Zarkon's armor, raking across his chest.

Zarkon roared, forcing the trident back so Lance was, too.

He caught a glimpse of the Black Lion landing. Shiro had done it; Lance let a smile cross his face.

Blue roared, and Lance lurched to his feet unsteadily. His bayard flickered, and he focused on it, willing it into his rifle.

There was a heavy thud as his Lion landed above him, covering his body with her own.

 _Heart._

Lance's armor glowed in Blue's shadow. He let his bayard retract with no clear shot at Zarkon and found himself looking at the thin pink ribbon he'd tied around his wrist.

 _For the fallen._

"Blue," he said as she put space between him and Zarkon before spinning around sharply to scoop him into her mouth.

The battle wasn't done, and neither was the war, but Lance slumped in his seat wearily. Blue hummed.

"I have to keep going," he whispered, "for them."

 _For yourself_ , Blue said gently. Lance pressed a hand against his side but didn't cry like he thought he would have.

"I promise."

" _Lance! Lance!_ "

The call was echoed by the other paladins, and despite himself, Lance smiled.

"I'm here."

" _Let's get out._ "

Allura's face appeared on the screen, and Lance sighed at the sight of her back in the Castle.

" _Allura…?_ "

Her face was pinched. "I can't…"

" _Allura, we need to leave! If we stay here any longer, we're doomed._ "

Coran appeared. " _The Galra barrier—it's jamming our ability to create a wormhole._ "

Lines and lines of ships flew into sight, and Lance readied himself to fight, though he wasn't sure if he could.

The Lions fled towards the barrier with nowhere else to go, and Blue whined as they were cornered by the remaining fleet, still strong.

Then the barrier flickered and went down.

"Impossible," Lance murmured.

" _What happened? Coran?_ "

" _Does it matter? Wormhole!_ "

Blue flew closer to the Castle as a gaping wormhole opened before them.

There was a crackling sound, like buzzing electricity, and Lance watched in horror as the wormhole deepened in color. Blue was torn away from the Castle, the Lions split apart by the energy that rushed around them.

Lance yelled, trying to push back, but there was nothing he could do.

"Blue," he begged.

 _Paladin_ , she said, wrapping protectively around him.

" _The integrity of the wormhole has been compromised! It's breaking down!_ "

" _Guys!_ "

Pidge was screaming as Green was tugged past Blue, disappearing into the folds of the wormhole.

" _We won't have any control over where we're going!_ "

 _Lance._

Blue shuddered. Lance reached for her, but she slipped through his grasp and seemed to fade away, going silent.

" _Liyet_ ," he pleaded. "Blue…"

Lance closed his eyes as the two of them were suddenly jerked to the side, forcefully wrenched from the wormhole.

"Blue," he whispered, tugging at the controls, but Blue shut down, every light flickering out and the engines sputtering as they failed.

Lance did the only thing he could, closing his eyes against the darkness and clinging to the hollow bond-thread stretched thin between him and Blue.

Then they fell together into nothingness.


End file.
